The Disappearance
by Thayer
Summary: Fang and Iggy mysteriously disappear after a fight with Ari and Flyboys and now Max and the remaining Flock have to find them. FAX
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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MAX POV –

I don't know where they came from. One minute we were minding our own business, coasting on the air currents and then the next they were there, coming at us from all angles.

"Surprise!" someone shouted.

I spun around and briefly saw Ari grinning wildly at me before his foot connected with my stomach and I shot backwards in the air, struggling for breath. I'm pretty strong thanks to my favourite crazy scientists but so was Ari. His kick winded me and even hurt but there was no way I was going to admit that.

I recovered quickly and shot towards the Eraser. He met me halfway, his clumsy wings beating awkwardly. I threw a quick punch, catching him in the kidney. He let out a small "oof" as he bent over to protect his organs. They just didn't make evil villains the way they used to.

Quickly, in order to press my advantage, I moved closer, swinging my leg in an aerial roundhouse kick that impressed even me. I caught Ari on the side of his head and he dropped a few feet. I was about to follow him to finish him off when a half dozen Flyboys decided I looked pretty threatening and needed to be taken out. They hovered out of my reach for a few moments and I took the chance to check on my Flock.

Angel and Gazzy were fighting back to back – as much as a kid with wings can whilst fighting in the air. They seemed to be doing okay; I mean neither of them was injured yet. I glanced around and saw Nudge grab one of the Flyboys from behind and rip its mechanical head from its body. She wore a determined snarl on her face as she spun to attack another.

Before I could find Iggy or Fang a few of the Flyboys came at me. I reacted instantly, my fist flying towards the first Flyboy that got close enough. It dropped a few feet as it tried to remember to flap its wings. More moved to fill the gap I'd created and I was forced to think with more than my fists.

The Flyboys were fast and strong but they weren't as aerodynamic as us. I could also use their speed to my advantage. I smiled as they ganged up on me. Taking an original tactic of attacking me all at once, the Flyboys shot forward, little ol' me caught in the middle.

Just as I was about to pour on the speed and shoot upwards I thought I heard someone grunt in pain. It was impossible for me to mistake that sound. As few times as I'd heard it, I would know it anywhere.

I didn't hang around and wait for the Flyboys to come close enough, like I had originally planned too. Instead, with one powerful sweep of my wings, I moved above them and searched frantically for Fang.

I found him to my left, fighting three Flyboys and Ari at the same time. Ari had him from behind, his dark wings pinned awkwardly between them. The only thing keeping them in the air was Ari's clumsy wings. As I stared dumbfound at Fang's struggling form, I saw Iggy out of the corner of my eye. He kicked a Flyboy in the back and before it could recover he crippled one of its wings.

Then without warning, he spun and flies straight at Ari and Fang, who both had their backs to him. I have no idea how the kid knew where they were and didn't particularly care. I snapped into action, determined to help Iggy and save Fang. But suddenly the Flyboys were everywhere again and I couldn't get to them.

Thinking about it, if you were suddenly passing by in an aeroplane it would be quite a spectacular scene. Flyboys everywhere, their robotic drone filling the air making it hard to yell to one another; a half dozen bird kids fighting furiously for their lives, two of them struggling against one butt-ugly flying half-human, half-wolf… I'm just saying. Not something you'd be expecting to see on your express route home – if you went the scenic route maybe, but definitely not the express. Your flight would have cost more if that was the case.

I fought gallantly, viciously attacking everything that stood between me and my Flock. But for every one that fell, another would appear. I was getting quite annoyed. And then the worst thing happened.

I only caught the movement out the corner of my eye as I fought off two Flyboys but it sent a jolt of paralysing fear through me.

Fang's limp body was falling – fast. I could see dark patches of blood all over his body and even some on his wings.

"Iggy!" I shouted desperately. "South-west and straight down! Pour on the speed!"

I saw Iggy turn and follow my directions. I focused my anger, fear and frustration into my attacks and soon the flow of Flyboys began to slow. Nudge suddenly appeared beside me and helped me finish off the last of them. When I was sure no more of the robots were coming and Angel and Gazzy had rejoined us, I began searching desperately for any sign of Iggy and Fang. And Ari for that matter. Where had he disappeared to?

I pushed that thought away, choosing instead to centre on a more pressing problem. I could see no sign of either boys and I had an uneasy feeling building in my stomach. And it was _not_ the tacos we ate for lunch.

"Angel, can you hear them?" I asked.

I did my best to keep the anxiety out of my voice for their sakes; they were only kids after all.

We dropped down lower until we were skimming the tops of the trees.

"There's nothing down there except a few animals," Angel replied.

She looked close to tears. I quickly motioned for them to land and I rushed to hold Angel. She clutched me close as her tears began to soak my shirt. It wasn't long before Gazzy and Nudge had joined the hug.

None of us are particularly emotional people. It takes a lot to make any of us cry but losing two of the Flock would just about do it. We're quite a close family – having grown up as test subjects together, escaping together, fighting for our lives together… heck, we did everything together! So separating us was the best way to torture us – that, or maybe locking us in cages and then separating us. Yeah I think that might be worse.

I tried to stay strong for my remaining Flock. After all, just because Angel couldn't hear their thoughts, didn't mean the worst had happened. I mean Iggy could have landed anywhere in this forest, he was blind after all. Or Iggy could have been knocked out by a protruding branch or something… there was a dozen reasons I could think of that would explain their absence. Admittedly a few were a bit farfetched, but for the most part they were plausible.

"Max what are we going to do?" Nudge asked timidly.

Her dark brown eyes were wide and teary. I smiled confidently at her.

"Don't worry. They'll be fine," I assured them.

Gazzy nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve. I can proudly say I did _not_ teach him that.

"Of course they will," he agreed as though he'd thought as much the whole time.

I grinned at him, a sudden and overwhelming surge of love spreading through me. He was only eight but the kid had some gumption. I grabbed him around the waist and messed up his already wild hair. He laughed as he tried to duck out of my hold. A smile broke out on Nudge and Angel's faces as the tension lessened a bit.

Eventually I released the Gasman and stood up. I peered carefully around me into the forest, unsure what I was looking for. I was no tracker and neither was anyone else in the Flock so I had no idea how I was going to find Fang and Iggy. I had no idea where to start.

**You don't find it strange that Ari and the Flyboys just suddenly disappear at the same time as Fang and Iggy?**

Well hello, I thought. Look what the cat dragged in. Have you come to join the party?

The Voice stayed silent. Inwardly I rolled my eyes. It comes, imparts some amazing piece of wisdom and goes without as much as a pleasant greeting. You'd think we'd be the best of friends after all our deep and meaningful's, but then neither of us has ever been good at the small talk.

I sighed when it became evident that the Voice would be saying no more. I didn't want to be the one to tell them the worst had probably happened but that's the kind of leader I am.

"It looks like we might be going back to school," I muttered as I turned back to my remaining Flock.

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_So what do you think? Any suggestions for plot lines would be most welcome because I have about half of it planned out… the other half I'm a bit stuck on. But anyways… let me know what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything**

_So this chapter is a lot shorter but I'm trying to only do one person's POV for each chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed! You rock and thanks pinkcatheaven for spurring me on!_

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IGGY POV –

I spun a little to my left and angled myself downwards. I pulled my wings in tight against my back to lessen the resistance between myself and the air currents. As I fell I picked up speed, gathering momentum, trying to push myself faster still. I had to reach Fang before he hit the ground. Max would never forgive me if something happened to him. Hell, I wouldn't forgive me!

Finally, after what felt like forever but was probably only a couple of seconds in reality, I could hear the rustling of Fang's cotton shirt and jeans as the wind tore at them. I listened more carefully, trying to specify his location. Quickly I tilted the tips of my wings ever so slightly to the right and stretched out my arms. If my calculations were correct – and they always were – he should be right about…

I almost cried out in relief as my sensitive fingers managed to get a grip on Fang's shirt. In my mind's eye I saw a flash of dark gray but I forced it aside. The colour of Fang's shirt was not important right now.

Quickly I pulled Fang closer to me. I could feel the altitude around me still dropping rapidly as I continued to fall – faster now that I had Fang's dead weight in my arms. I may have stopped his swift descent towards the hard ground beneath us but that didn't mean we were out of danger yet. I was still falling and I could hear the distinct sound of Flyboys high above.

I snapped my wings out and immediately began to counteract gravity. Muscles in both my back and my wings screamed at me to release my load but I grit my teeth and continued to pump my wings up and down.

We began to slow but it wasn't fast enough. The rustling of the trees was too close and I was even beginning to hear the soft patter of animals scurrying around in the forest. I knew we were going to hit the ground in a matter of seconds and there wasn't much I could do about it. So I spun myself around in the air until I was lying beneath Fang and curled my wings up around him, trying to protect his already battered body as much as I could.

The only warning I had was the scratches I received from the tree branches on the way down. Then we hit the ground – hard. All the air was punched out of my lungs as I was squashed between Fang and the ground. I swear I felt at least two ribs break.

Fang groaned a little but otherwise didn't register the impact. I pushed him off me and tried to sit up. My chest protested loudly but I managed. I reached out for Fang, feeling his hair in my fingers. I forced my screaming body to move, to make sure that my brother in all but blood was alright. I could smell blood so I knew he had at least one cut.

My fingers roamed over his unconscious form, cataloguing cuts and bruises. He seemed okay except for his chest. I felt the sticky blood before I found the deep gashes along his chest. I traced one and found it ran from the front of his chest around to his back. There were five on each side. I had a feeling Ari had dug his claws in whilst he'd been holding on to him.

"What has Ari done to you?" I whispered to myself.

Suddenly I heard a chuckled and then something grabbed me from behind. I tried to struggle against the impossibly strong arms but my chest was burning with pain and moving only made it worse. So I stilled, waiting for my opportunity.

"I only made this job so much easier," a voice said.

I knew Ari's voice and hearing it now placed a sense of dread inside me. I opened my mouth to call out for Max or Angel or anyone but suddenly I heard the whoosh of something heavy as it sliced through the air before it collided with my head.

The last thing I remember before falling into darkness was a soft chuckle.

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_Thoughts anyone?_


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything**

_Thanks for the reviews guys… this one is longer than the last one._

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FANG POV –

My head was pounding and my whole body felt tingly as though I'd recently been electrocuted. I opened my eyes slowly, trying to give them time to adjust to the blindingly bright light of the room. Squinting slightly, I peered around me, a sinking feeling building inside.

White walls, spotlessly clean, that strong smell of disinfectant – I shuddered as realisation hit me. The School. For some reason I was back at the School.

Awareness shot through my body and I sat up. Then two things happened simultaneously. I hit my head on something above me and a strong ache gripped my side. I instinctively dropped my head, rubbing it reproachfully. My other hand went to my chest where I was surprised to find I was shirtless. Ignoring my thumping headache, I glanced down at my chest where I saw five shining scars on both sides. They were puckered and angry-looking and I silently hoped they didn't stay that way.

"Fang? You awake?"

I looked up, surprised to hear Iggy's voice. He was in a cage identical to mine, his arms wrapped around his chest. After seeing him, I immediately started looking for Max and the others. There was no one else in the room.

"Yeah," I muttered, massaging my chest. "What happened?"

"Well after Ari got a hold of you, he cut you up pretty good. You went unconscious due to blood loss and he dropped you. I managed to stop you from hitting the ground too hard and then I got knocked out and now we're here," he explained.

I could hear the pain and despair in his voice.

"What happened to you?" I demanded, moving to the front of my cage. "Did they hurt you?"

An ironical smile played across his lips. "Nah, this was all you. I stopped you from hitting the ground by using my body as a cushion. Broke a couple of ribs I think… and you're welcome by the way."

I smiled. "Thanks Ig."

"How are you? Those cuts felt pretty nasty," Iggy asked.

I shrugged before realising who I was talking to. "I'm fine. They're pretty much healed already."

He frowned. "No way could they have healed that quickly man! My ribs are still screaming bloody murder and you're fine?"

That thought had occurred to me too. All of the Flock were quick healers – a broken bone only takes our bodies a couple of days to mend – but we weren't immortal. Seriously fatal wounds still took us at least three, maybe four days before they healed over.

"How long have we been here?" I asked.

Iggy shrugged. "A day maybe?"

Yeah, that was definitely fast even for our standards. I sat back against the bars of my cage, thinking. Our situation was not looking good. Neither of us was in the best condition to fight and we had no idea whether Max and the rest of the Flock were okay.

Suddenly I heard a soft whoosh and a door opened. I snapped to attention, seeing Iggy straighten a little in his cage. Two Whitecoats entered both wheeling a stainless steel bed. Jeb followed behind them with Ari, who smirked at me. They were both carrying a gun. I glared back at the seven year old Eraser, ignoring the throbbing of my scars. Thanks Ari.

Jeb and Ari raised their weapons, pointing them at me and Iggy. I tensed as the Whitecoats walked over to Iggy's cage. They unlocked his door and dragged him out. He allowed them to pull him free of the cramped cage before snapping his wings out wide, frightening the two scientists. Using his advantage, Iggy pulled one wrist out of the Whitecoats' grip and clocked him one. I watched in satisfaction as the scientist fell backwards from the sheer force behind Iggy's punch.

He was about to dust the other one when he suddenly froze. His head turned towards Jeb and Ari, both of whom had cocked their guns. I hadn't heard the soft click of the safety being flicked off but Iggy, with his incredibly sensitive ears, had. I knew he didn't know where the guns were pointing but he wouldn't be taking any chances.

In the tense silence that followed, the scientist that Iggy had hit had the chance to recompose himself before capturing Iggy's arm. Jeb walked over to him and I noticed Iggy stiffen. Then before I could even blink, Jeb pulled his arm back and punched my friend in the chest.

A piercing cry filled the air as Iggy doubled over in agony. I hadn't realised that, in all the commotion, I'd moved back to the front of my cage.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted angrily.

Jeb just turned and smiled at me. I made my face remain impassive but I knew my eyes were shooting him daggers. Without removing his eyes from me, he motioned for the Whitecoats to proceed.

The two scientists pulled Iggy over to one of the beds and forced him to lie on it, face down. They clamped his wrists to his side and also locked his ankles into place. Iggy had his head off to one side so he could breath and I could see the fear in his sightless eyes.

"Ig, you'll be okay!" I told him, reassuring myself at the same time as him.

He nodded as best he could but I knew he didn't believe me. Once he was secured the Whitecoats came and got me. I didn't offer any resistance because if there was no way to spring Iggy at the same time, then I wasn't going to bother escaping. I wouldn't leave him behind.

I was strapped to the other bed – face up – and then we were wheeled out into a corridor. We were taken into another room – this one a lab. More Whitecoats joined in the fun and it wasn't long before we were hooked up to a whole array of machines.

"Subject Beta's wounds have healed themselves," someone who was leaning over me said. "It would appear that the bots work! They even created a new layer of skin over the wound to protect it from infection. The only thing they don't appear to be able to do is speed up the process of making the new skin identical the old skin."

I held back an involuntary shiver as something cold pressed against my chest. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the nightmare I was being subject to. I hoped Iggy was holding up alright. He hadn't made a sound since we left that other room.

My thoughts turned to the rest of the Flock. Was Max okay? I wondered how mad she would be at me for failing her. I smiled as I thought about Max. I knew there was something between us, but what that something was I didn't know. Sometimes it felt like she wanted to strangle me or punch me in the face but then, seconds later, she would grin at me and I knew all was forgiven. For as long as I could remember, she had relied on me to be strong for her so she could be strong for the younger kids. It was a hard job but I would do anything for Max.

Suddenly I felt that tingling feeling again. It spread all through my body, filling me with a weightless sensation, like I got when I was flying.

"Whoa! Something's happening!" the shout broke through my thoughts and I opened my eyes. Chaos had erupted around me as six Whitecoats rushed to my side. They were all staring at my arms so I glanced down too, trying to ignore the weightlessness.

My eyes widened as I saw my wrist. It was glowing a soft blue colour and looked slightly transparent. Involuntarily I lifted it up, trying to get a better view of my arm when it suddenly went straight through the steel restraint. My jaw dropped open as I stared at my now free wrist. What the hell?

The Whitecoats stared at me too, some terrified, others fascinated. I smiled as I realised I had just phased my wrist through the cuff.

"Get the serum!" one of the more forward thinkers suddenly yelled in panic.

I didn't wait around for said serum. Whatever it was, I knew it wasn't going to be productive to the escape plan that was forming in my mind. The only problem was I didn't know how to control this new found power.

I focused all my energy on my other wrist, trying to will it through the restraint. Nothing happened. I tugged against the cuff but still nothing.

Oh come on! I thought angrily. Give me an ability without the instruction manual! That's just plain harsh.

Suddenly I felt a prick in the crook of my elbow and I glanced down to see a needle being pulled out, empty now. I could feel whatever had been injected in my arm make its way through my veins. My head began to grow foggy and I couldn't stop my eyes from closing.

It wasn't long before sleep pulled me in and unconsciousness overpowered me.

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_How was that?_


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Thanks for all the reviews guys! You rock! And thanks _pinkcatheaven_ for all your help, you're a legend!_

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MAX POV –

It took us two days to reach the School. I wanted to immediately storm the place, grab my friends and get the hell out of there but I knew that plan would be below zero on the success scale. They had most definitely amped up the security and I had no doubt that Fang and Iggy would be kept under lock and key.

We were hiding in the park that unsuccessfully hid the School building from the rest of the world. As bird kids we were lucky to have the choice of hiding in the branches of the trees or wandering around the park trying to look like normal kids having a fun day instead of spying on a secret company that was the root of all our nightmares. What a decision and as leader it was all mine to make. How lucky was I?

Angel dragged Nudge over to a swing set, both of their faces lighting up. Gazzy followed them less enthusiastically. I watched them out of the corner of my eye, knowing that I'd picked right, if only in Angel and Nudge's opinions.

I was sitting on a park bench doing an incredibly good impersonation of a bored teen. My whole body was tense and alert, just waiting for someone at the School to realise who I was and come and collect me.

I tried to appear inconspicuous as I studied the comings and goings of people at the School. This wasn't going to be easy. As far as I could tell they had some form of biometric scanner at the front door along with a couple of hired security guards with dogs. Of course we could fly straight over them and find another entrance but I was willing to bet my reputation as the toughest bird kid in North America that those doors would be equally as guarded.

Of course the easiest way to get in would be to march right up to them and announce our presence, but then we had the small issue of us joining Fang and Iggy in small cages. I figured that would kind of be counterproductive towards a rescue mission.

Unless…

I turned to look for the Gasman and found him digging a hole around the frame of the swing set.

"Gazzy!" I shouted.

He looked up, his face bored looking. I motioned for him to come over and he got up, walking slowly. He sat down beside me.

"Yeah?"

"Say a group of genetically enhanced children wanted to get into a heavily fortified building but the only way to do so would be by getting caught by the people they hated the most. How would you suggest that they get away after being caught? Hypothetically speaking of course," I said.

Gazzy grinned mischievously at me, catching my drift surprisingly fast for an eight year old. "Well, _hypothetically_, if one of those bird kids was particularly skilled in constructing bombs, then I would get him to hide one on his person and sneak it in when they were caught."

I nodded thoughtfully as though it had only just occurred to me. "And how would said bird kid manage to hide a bomb while they were captured?"

"You'd have to find a bird kid who could do that and ask him," Gazzy smirked.

I would never learn where he and Iggy stashed all those explosives they had, or how they made them in the first place. I watched the Gasman's figure disappear into the park, searching for God only knows what.

I let Nudge and Angel play while Gazzy built his explosive. I stayed on the bench, worrying about Fang and Iggy, hoping they were alright. I wouldn't be surprised if Fang had glared all the Whitecoats to death – and if that had happened, it would make our job of infiltration a whole lot easier! Now I found myself silently wishing Fang's glare was powerful enough to do that but I doubted it. It hadn't worked on me yet so I don't see it working on those crazy scientists.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and my hand shot out, grabbing a wrist tightly. I turned to see who it was and found Gazzy grimacing at me.

"I just wanted to say I was finished," he stated.

I gave him a wry smile and let him go. "Sorry Gaz."

He held something out for me and I glanced down at it. I had no idea how he had created the bomb out of only a few random things in the playground and I wasn't going to ask. He wouldn't answer me anyway.

"Alright," I stood up, brushing off my pants. "Angel! Nudge! Let's go."

The two girls looked up and dashed over to us. When I looked back to the Gasman, the bomb had mysteriously disappeared and the boy seemed to look more relaxed, as though having a bomb with him calmed him down. Strange child, even by our standards.

"Ok here's the plan," I began.

I launched into my brilliant Pulitzer-worthy idea, keeping my voice low, just in case. I explained to them how we were going to have to allow ourselves to be caught but once we were reunited with the rest of our Flock, we would be busting back out of there. I was almost positive that we would be able to fight our way out. We were, after all, masters at Fight-For-Our-Lives-Kwon-Do.

"Okay remember guys, stay together and look casual. We have to make it look like we _aren't_ trying to get caught," I added. "Make it hard for them but don't put yourself intentionally in harms way."

They nodded obediently and we left the park, acting casual.

_Don't worry Fang, Iggy_, I thought. _We're coming. It could take a while to don our shining armour but we'll come complete with white horse in tow._


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Thanks _pinkcatheaven_ for all your support! Although I might be needing your assistance again soon! And a huge thanks to ALL reviewers... you rock!_

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FANG POV –

My whole body ached, but as bad as I felt, I knew Iggy was feeling worse. The Whitecoats weren't allowing his ribs to heal, giving him a beating at least once a day. That, along with the experiments we were enduring, wasn't helping Iggy's body to heal itself. My body was reacting differently though.

For some reason, after all I'd been put through; I managed to heal almost straight away. I don't know what was happening to me and why I was healing at such a fast pace but I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. After all, the Whitecoats had been continually experimenting on me, trying to find a way to kill me. So far nothing had worked – obviously.

The first few tests had been the most terrifying. Back when I didn't know what was happening and the Whitecoats were beginning their experiments. I remember watching one of the scientists draw almost 2 pints of blood from a restrained Iggy before walking over to me. I had quite a crowd – at least five or six Whitecoats, all of whom looked quiet excited and scared at the same time. Apparently Iggy's blood was just a precaution, in case I didn't heal – or so I found out later.

I didn't know what they were about to do, so when one of them suddenly grabbed a scalpel I was beyond shocked. My shock deepened when he suddenly plunged the sharp instrument into my exposed forearm, slicing a perfect straight line along the vein. I bit my lip to stop from calling out in pain.

I guess that was where the real experiment began as all the Whitecoats suddenly lunged for their clipboards and pens. I tried to pay attention to what they were doing but quite frankly I had bigger issues – like the pool of blood that was growing around my right hand. Already I was feeling the effects of blood loss. My thoughts were becoming scattered as I tried to focus my blurry eyes on my wound. My whole body felt light, as though it would just fly away at any second. Dizziness gripped me and suddenly little black spots coloured my vision. It wasn't long before I was unconscious.

To say the least, I was surprised when I woke up mere minutes later. In my partially delirious state, I figured the scientists had gotten it wrong, missed the vein or something. But when I looked down at my arm, there was no profusely bleeding wound – only a long thin scar surrounded in blood.

I blinked, trying to figure it out. Nothing I came up with made sense but then what actually made sense in my world?

That was only the first test. Many more followed. To date I've been impaled by a steel rod, poisoned by some sort of snake, held under water in an attempt at drowning and many more fun games that I won't go into. Nothing worked. For some reason, my body kept healing but while it healed the internal wounds like poison through the veins, it couldn't seem to do the same courtesy to the outside of my body.

I had scars from battles fought previous to my capture but none were as bad as the new ones I had. Besides the long cut on my wrist and Ari's scratches on my chest, I also had whip marks on my back just above my wings and an ugly brand stamped on my arm, right below my shoulder. The whip had hurt the most – and while it had stopped bleeding – the pain still remained. When I'd been allowed back into my cage that night, I'd tried stretching my cramped wings but the pain from the lashes had nearly knocked me unconscious.

I'd lost track of days but it couldn't have been too long since we were caught. I was trying to stay strong for Iggy but we both knew that if Max and the others didn't come soon, we were goners.

We were in our cages for the night. I only knew that because the Whitecoats had been accommodating enough to provide us with a digital clock which was set on twenty-four hour time.

I groaned as I shifted my wings from where they'd been pressed up against the bars. Iggy heard me groan and turned his head towards me.

"What's the time?" he whispered.

His voice was hoarse from disuse. The Whitecoats wouldn't let him talk unless spoken too and every time he made a sound, they would "discipline him". The only chance he got to speak was during the night when we were both awake and in pain. Like tonight. I felt incredibly guilty about Iggy being here – I mean he wouldn't even be here if I hadn't needed saving!

"It's just past midnight," I replied.

He nodded turning away again. I watched him silently for a few seconds, wishing he wasn't here, wishing he wasn't being put through all this because of me.

Suddenly he cried out and his hands flew up to his head. He dug his fingers into his temples, his eyes screwed shut in pain. I flung myself forward, desperate to get to him. Now would be a great time for those phasing powers to come back! But of course, they didn't. Whatever drug they were pumping into me was working too well for my liking.

"Iggy?" I called, trying to get his attention.

He either ignored me or didn't hear me. He was now curled in a ball on the floor of his cage, his hands still squeezing his head.

"Ig, come on man! What's happening?" I shouted.

Panic was flooding me, fast and hard. What if he was dying? Had one of the Whitecoats done this to him? What was going on?

As suddenly as it happened, Iggy sat up. Slowly he opened his eyes and turned back to me.

"Iggy? Speak to me dude," I said.

He swallowed before saying anything. "I just saw the rest of the Flock and they…"

He faltered. Something about Max? Was she alright? What had Iggy seen and how?

"Iggy, what are you talking about?" I said more slowly.

"Max and the others are going to get caught. They'll be joining us soon," he replied with complete certainty.

I laughed uneasily. "So what? You see the future now?"

His sightless eyes managed to stare straight into mine, his face completely serious.

"I think so."

I nodded slowly. Of course. How normal.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_You guys are awesome! A special thanks to _pinkcatheaven_ as always and also to _fangfan5_ and _Cap't Mo_ and anyone else who I've forgotten for your continued interest in this story! But anyways… on with the show!_

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MAX POV –

It turns out that we're either very good at trying to not get caught or the Director of the School wasn't as concerned about collecting us as a set as we previously believed. Maybe next time we're on the run from the School – which was likely to be soon – we should only _pretend_ to be on the run. It seemed to be working now.

"Max can I have a donut?" Nudge asked.

We were sitting inside an internet café, trying to update Fang's blog. I'd already bought us lunch but apparently two pies and three sandwiches just wasn't enough.

"Max can I have five donuts?" Gazzy said, mimicking Nudge perfectly. If I hadn't looked up to answer her, I would have thought it was her.

I smacked Gazzy about the head before handing Nudge some money.

"Get us all a few," I told her.

She nodded and disappeared in the general direction of the café. I returned my attention to the screen. I still hadn't figured out how to log into Fang's account – that, coupled with two days without sleep was making me an irritable old woman. Angel was spinning herself around and around on the wheelie chair next to mine, her innocent face looked deep in thought.

_Why don't you get Nudge to do it? She could hack that thing in a matter of seconds!_ Angel's voice surprised me but I managed to stop myself before I jumped.

I turned to face her, my eyes flashing in annoyance. _Don't do that!_

Without replying, I renewed my efforts to guess my best friend's password. I had tried everyone's name in the Flock along with the fake ones we used on the rare occasions we were among society. When they didn't work I tried our ages, a combination of our names and ages, the names of the people who we had stayed with… hell I tried everything I could think of and still nothing worked.

_Ready to give up?_ Angel again.

"Here we go," Nudge said, announcing her return. "Three donuts each."

She handed me the change as she placed the plate on the bench beside the computer. I picked one up and forced it into Angel's hand.

"Eat a donut and be quiet," I hissed.

Angel's bright blue eyes widened in surprise and hurt. I knew I was being harsh but I was tired, hungry and wanted my friends back. I missed Fang. I missed his silence, the meaningful looks we traded right before a fight for our lives and his comforting presence. And of course I missed Iggy too. But my heart didn't ache every time I thought about him. Not like it did when I thought about… Gah never mind.

I sighed and gently touched the back of Angel's hand.

"I'm sorry sweetie," I muttered.

She smiled sadly. "I know – and we all miss them. You're not alone."

I nodded. She was right. I wasn't alone. I had three bird kids to look after and two to save from a bunch of crazy scientists. Now was not the time for Max Meltdown Mode. So being the excellent leader that I was, I stood up and motioned for Nudge to sit down.

"You turn in the hot seat. Hack into Fang's blog so we can update before we going into _not_-hiding again," I told her.

She nodded eyes bright as she swallowed her second donut. As she did her thing, I picked up my donuts and began to eat. They were covered in cinnamon and just fatty enough to satisfy my rumbling belly – if only for a few minutes.

It took Nudge less than a minute to crack his password (of course it was 140392, how could I not have guessed?) and we could finally post on that stupid website of his. It didn't take us long to update the viewers on what was happening; after all, telling the general population that their favourite blogger extraordinaire had been kidnapped along with his blind sidekick didn't really need any gory details added to it. They didn't need to know that much.

Sorting through all the fan mail was a completely different story. I guess I was still underestimating the number of people who visited his site. After glancing at the number of e-mails Fang had received I decided I really didn't want to spend the next two months of my life replying or even just reading those messages, so I logged off and shut down the computer.

"Max I'm bored!" Gazzy complained.

"I know," I replied, grabbing our stuff. "We're going now anyway."

He smiled, collecting his bag quickly as I stuffed the laptop inside my bag. We left the café and began walking back towards the park opposite the School. For the past couple of days, it was the place that we'd been calling home. Well the forest behind the park more than the park itself.

It was just past sunset when we entered the small forest. I was wrapped in my thoughts, which lately had been turning more and more towards Fang then usual. I didn't know where this sudden fear for him was coming from, especially when Iggy was as much a prisoner as Fang was. Shouldn't I be equally concerned for them both? I mean, if my plan finally came to fruition and we were locked up in little cages only to find that Iggy had been killed… I would be devastated – utterly and totally wrecked. But I knew that if the same thing happened to Fang, I would likely join him soon after.

"Does anybody else hear that buzzing?" Gazzy suddenly said.

I shook myself out of my dark thoughts and listened carefully. The Gasman was right. There was a definite drone sound to my left and it was getting louder. I knew that sound, I could recognise it anywhere.

"Brace yourselves," I whispered. "Flyboys incoming. Gazzy, you set?"

He nodded silently as he adopted a fighting stance. I noticed that both Angel and Nudge were already prepared so I turned to face the sound, my whole body tense and alert.

The droning drew closer and closer until I could finally make out the seemingly endless rows of evil robot minions. They came straight for us but when the first row was mere metres from us, I heard a noise behind me.

It was only faint and I wasn't even sure if I had really heard anything but I still spun quickly, adrenaline pumping heavily through my veins. I caught sight of a really hairy figure standing right behind me before everything suddenly went black.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

* * *

IGGY POV –

My vision kept me up all night. I could hear Fang's soft snores as he slept opposite me but the knowledge of Max's imminent capture wouldn't stop haunting me. I didn't want the rest of the Flock subjected to any of this torture as well.

Absentmindedly, I wrapped one arm around my chest before I shifted my body, trying to find a more comfortable position. My ribs screamed at me in protest and my head pounded from blood loss. I groaned, curling in on myself.

There was a loud swoosh as the door opened and then I heard three different sets of footsteps enter. I recognised one set of footsteps as Jeb's, the others I was guessing belonged to scientists. I turned towards the sounds but otherwise didn't move. They weren't coming for me.

Jeb and the Whitecoats stopped in front of Fang's cage. He was still sleeping which wasn't a good sign. Maybe he was more exhausted than I believed.

"Fang," I said.

I knew I was taking a risk by speaking but I couldn't help it. Sure enough, one of the Whitecoats stepped over to my cage and shoved something through the bars. It hit the side of my chest, near one of my broken ribs. I cried out in pain, curling in on myself.

I heard Fang start, his body bumping against the cage bars. It didn't matter though, whether he was awake or not, because the Whitecoats knew he wasn't going to escape without me. That was why they weren't allowing my ribs to heal.

I listened in silence as Fang was dragged out of his cage and restrained before they took him away. The door shut with a swoosh and I heard the lock engage. Alone again.

I sighed. I didn't know what they kept doing to Fang but whatever it was, it was wearing him down. He was sleeping more and more each day. I, on the other hand, wasn't sleeping well at all. Whenever they took blood, I often fell unconscious but other than that I had barely slept a wink.

Hours later, I heard the door open again. Expecting it to be Fang and the Whitecoats, I didn't really pay attention but the footsteps were heavier than normal. They were relatively quiet as they entered but then I heard the unmistakeable squeak of a cage door opening and something heavy dumped inside. The door closed and was locked again then another opened, something was dumped and the door closed again. The process happened four times before the footsteps disappeared and the door to the room closed again.

"Iggy?" I would recognise that voice anywhere.

I turned to the voice not all that surprised. "Hey Gaz."

"Man is it good to see you!" he cried.

I could hear him moving around in his cage. I could hear his breathing and if I concentrated I could hear three other people breathing deeply – like they were asleep.

"Is Max with you?" I asked, trying to keep the pain out of my voice. I don't want to him to worry. "And Nudge and Angel?"

"Yeah, we're all here. They got knocked out though," he replied.

I nodded. I tried to sit up without appearing hurt but my ribs didn't like that idea. They started protesting – loudly. I groaned and finally slumped back against the cage bars.

"You alright?" the Gasman asked. His voice was thick with concern.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The pain in my ribs was very distracting.

A groan filled the silence in the room, shortly followed by Max's sarcastic voice.

"This is the Hilton? I'm going to tell everyone I know – don't believe the hype!" she said. "And Iggy! Is your room as comfortable as mine?"

I grimaced. "Well it's no luxury suite but the room service is outstanding."

"Where's Fang?" Max demanded.

I shrugged, and then wished I hadn't. I winced as I replied. "With the Whitecoats."

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

I heard her intake of breath as she was readying herself to reply. Just then the door opened for the third time and more visitors joined us.

"Fang!" Max cried out.

I heard him being thrown back into his cage before the footsteps moved towards Max's cage.

"You're a tiresome strain on our resources Max."

The voice was new, a woman's. I didn't recognise it, just as I hadn't recognised the footsteps or that strong pungent perfume – eucalyptus, I think. Gross.

"That's not my fault. You're the one who keeps stalking me," she replied.

"Well it doesn't matter any more," the woman said. "We have you now."

I could almost hear Max roll her eyes. "Just like you had us a few months ago and you had us for the first few years of our lives. Look how they both turned out."

"This time is different," the woman said as she walked out of the room.

"Fang are you alright?" Max demanded, her voice more than concerned.

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

There was silence for a few moments then Gazzy spoke up again. "So are we doing this or what?"


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

MAX POV –

I could see that Iggy had been badly beaten even if he wasn't going to admit it. I'd trained him well after all. Fang didn't look as bad but I could tell they'd done something to him – he kept avoiding my eye. I sighed and turned to Gazzy.

"Yeah, we'd better do it now. There's no time like the present!" I said.

I saw Iggy's curious expression but he didn't say anything. Angel and Nudge were watching the Gasman expectantly, both silent since waking up. I knew they didn't like this plan but knew it didn't matter now that it was already in progress.

I tried to catch Fang's eye but he was steadfastly ignoring me. What was him? He'd never acted like this around me, even in the past when we were captives. Something had changed. I wasn't sure if I liked it.

"Okay, I'm ready," Gazzy said.

I pulled my eyes away from Fang and pushed him from my thoughts. Escape now, worry about strange behaviour of best friend later.

Gazzy was picking at the lock on his cage. He wasn't as good as Iggy was at picking locks but he was the only one of us that wasn't beaten senseless that could do it.

"Man you need more practice," Iggy muttered as he guessed what the scraping sound meant.

Gazzy frowned as he continued to fiddle with the lock on the cage.

"Shut up!" he replied.

For a few more seconds there was silence and then, "Ah-ha!"

Gazzy pushed his door open and climbed out. He stretched himself out before quickly dashing over to Iggy's cage. He handed him a spare lock pick before running back over to my cage. Then he had to start all over again. I watched impatiently as he picked at my lock, wishing he would hurry up. We didn't know when the Whitecoats would be coming back.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, I heard the lock click open and Gazzy pulled it off before dashing over to Angel's cage. Iggy had made fast work of Nudge's cage, and was almost rid of Fang's but his wounds – whatever they were – seemed to be paining him too much. He was moving sluggishly and even though he could pick a lock in under twenty seconds, he couldn't move between the cages that quickly.

I rushed over to help him stand up. He'd removed Fang's lock but was now struggling to stand. He winced as I grabbed his arm to help him but offered a thankful smile. Fang climbed out of his cage, seemingly alright.

"You okay?" I asked both of them.

Fang nodded silently, taking Angel's hand as she reached him. Nudge wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Neither was willing to injure Iggy more by hugging him.

Gazzy had disappeared after opening Angel's cage but suddenly he reappeared, tapping my on my elbow.

"Max, I set it up," he said, a devious grin on his face.

I nodded. "How long have we got?"

"I set it for one minute but that was about thirty seconds ago," he replied. "And you don't want to be in the line of fire when that thing goes off."

"Okay guys," I said. "You heard the kid."

Everyone immediately moved behind something solid. I got Iggy behind a lab table and just in time too. There was a loud explosion and debris suddenly clouded the room. I screwed my eyes closed and threw my hands over my head. I gave it a few seconds to settle then grabbed Iggy's upper arm and started hauling him towards the huge hole in the wall.

I could see the blue sky just beyond the crumbling wall.

"Report guys!" I shouted, glancing around for the rest of my Flock.

"Fine," I heard Angel call.

"Man that was awesome!" Gazzy shouted, punching the air in excitement.

"I'm good," Nudge said as she joined us.

Fang just walked over to me, Angel's hand still in his. "Let's go."

"Alright guys, U and A," I said.

Nudge and Gazzy ran through the hole, their wings snapping out behind them as they launched themselves into the air. Fang and Angel went next. I couldn't help but watch as Fang's glorious black wings seemed darker in the morning sun. In comparison, Angel's wings were a glimmering white against the blue skies.

"Okay Ig, our turn," I said. "You gonna be okay to fly?"

He unfurled his wings from his back and gave them a test flap. He winced a little and wrapped his free arm around his chest.

"Yeah I'll be alright," he replied.

"Good because we need to get out of here now," I said.

I helped him over the bricks and plaster from the fallen wall and let him go.

"Ok let's go. Just straight up."

Iggy forced his beaten body into the air and I watched his progress just to make sure he wasn't going to drop like a stone any time soon.

"Max! Wait!"

I spun around, my eyes already rolling. I was already waiting for the "you're saving the world" speech I'm sure was poised on Jeb's lying tongue. He was climbing over all the debris, the sound of running footsteps and a loud droning sound getting louder every second.

"I don't think so," I retorted.

I ran a few steps before snapping out my wings and leaping into the air. I didn't look back at the School, hating that building and the people within with every fibre of my being.

It didn't take long for me to catch up to everyone. They'd waited for me a few thousand feet off the ground. Fang and Gazzy were hovering near Iggy, who was still holding his chest.

"Okay guys let's go," I said.

I shot off north-west towards the destination we'd carefully chosen before allowing ourselves to be caught.

When we landed, Iggy stumbled and Fang quickly caught him and lowered him to the ground. He looked very concerned and I think I even saw some guilt in there.

"Okay guys, fess up," I said. "What happened?"


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Thanks for all the reviews and _pinkcatheaven_ for your support and ideas!!_

FANG POV –

I didn't even look up when Max demanded an explanation. Iggy was breathing heavily so I made him lie down.

"Get some rest," I told him. "I'll explain."

He nodded silently and closed his eyes, his face still pained. Luckily, now that we were no longer prisoners, his ribs would be able to heal, a process that shouldn't take any longer than a day to complete.

Slowly I turned to see Max staring at me. She had that look of steely determination in her eyes that I loved so much. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her foot was tapping impatiently on the ground.

"Well?" she demanded.

I swallowed, suddenly nervous. There was no way I was going to tell her everything that had happened to me in there, especially not after what that last trip with the Whitecoats had revealed. I wasn't even sure what any of it meant for me and my future but I was hoping that Max would understand. If she didn't, I don't know what I would do.

"They just did the usual experiments except they seemed to focus more on me than Iggy. I think they were just using him as a means to get me to cooperate," I said before falling quiet. That was all they needed to know.

Max stared at me expectantly, waiting for more. I just returned the gaze impassively. I saw Nudge glancing between us, her eyes thoughtful. Without saying anything, she grabbed a blanket from her backpack and lay down next to Iggy. Angel and Gazzy were huddled against a cave wall, both half-asleep.

"And that's it? They just ran tests on you?" Max pressured.

I thought back to that last time in the lab, that last experiment and the truth revealed at last.

"Yeah, that's all," I muttered.

I didn't like lying to Max but I wasn't ready to tell her yet. I turned away before she could continue the conversation. I could almost hear her anger at my dismissive attitude.

"Fang!" she hissed.

She didn't want to leave it at that but I wasn't about to continue, knowing she wanted to hear what I couldn't tell her.

I ignored her and began to set up a blanket to sleep under. Next thing I knew Max's hand was around my wrist and she was spinning me back around to face her. For a second our eyes met and I couldn't look away.

After a few moments she shook her head and looked down at my chest.

"I know you're hiding something," she said, although her voice didn't hold any of the conviction it had before.

"It doesn't matter," I replied softly.

I pulled my arm from her grip and lay down. She huffed angrily but got the gist of my actions. I knew she wouldn't stop pestering me but she was giving up for the moment. I could hear Max moving around angrily. She threw her bag on the ground near me before going to the opposite side of the cave to finally rest.

I sighed and rolled onto my back. The silence in the cave was deafening as I stared at the ceiling. I hadn't wanted to push Max away but that was the only way I knew how to make her stop.

She didn't realise that I couldn't tell her, she didn't realise…

Suddenly there was a burst of what felt like electricity that shot through my body. I shuddered as my body tingled. Slowly a pulsing feeling began to build in my head, one that felt like I was going to get a headache.

I could hear the rest of the Flock breathing deeply as sleep took hold of them. My headache was growing in strength, making my eyes hurt.

Slowly I got up, keeping my eyes downward. I rubbed my temples tiredly as I walked to the edge of the cave and peered into the night sky.

**Jump**.

The sudden impulse gripped me and in a flash my wings were out and I followed through on the urge. The wind rippled through my feathers as I glided through the air currents, heading straight down to the ground. My headache disappeared as the breeze cooled my skin.

As the ground rushed up to meet me, I altered the angle of the tips of my wings and then I was soaring upwards. Strongly but lazily I beat my wings, propelling myself forward.

Before I knew it, I was in a desert somewhere. I was sitting on a large boulder, my wings still extended out behind me.

Without thinking about it, I was running my fingers over the scar along my wrist. It was still raised and bright red but it didn't look infected any more.

Had they known what they were going to do to me before they did it? And why did they choose me? Why not Iggy? Not that I wanted Iggy to have this thrust upon him… I just wanted to know, why pick me!

I sighed in frustration. It wasn't that what had happened was bad, it just marked me as different – very different. Everyone had some ability that had eventually revealed itself and made us even _more _different than we already were. But this… this was just wrong. Nobody should ever be able to do what I can. Not from any experimentations or alterations.

Unconsciously I lifted a rock off the ground beside me and began playing with it between my fingers. Suddenly another strange impulse struck me and I gripped the rock tightly in my hand. Holding my other arm out in front of me, I pressed the sharp rock against my skin and began dragging it from my wrist to my forearm. I watched as the blood began to spill out of the wound and drip off my arm.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Thanks as always to all my reviewers! And of course _pinkcatheaven_!_

MAX POV –

Fang dismissed my questions with that offhand manner he gets when he's hiding something. I tried to pressure him into tell me but he seemed impervious to even my infamous Max glare. I knew something had happened to him whilst he was in there, I could see the haunted look in his eyes.

I lay awake that night trying to get my racing mind to slow. What was so bad that he couldn't tell me? Fang was my best friend and we told each other everything, especially the stuff that we couldn't tell the Flock. Why was this different?

As the thoughts turned through my head I heard a soft groan and I instantly slowed my breathing and made it deeper. I watched through slitted eyes as Fang sat up, rubbing his head. There was a pained expression on his face. He glanced around at the rest of us before getting up and walking to the cave entrance.

He stood there for a few moments, a black silhouette against the midnight sky. Then he suddenly snapped his wings out and threw himself off into the night. Instantly I got up and ran to where he had been moments ago.

I watched as he soared north-west, wondering if he knew where he was going. Without thinking I followed him. I stayed a fair distance behind him but always kept him in sight. Maybe now I would receive a better answer than "it doesn't matter".

I lost track of time as we flew but then Fang stopped, landing on a huge boulder in some desert. He looked around him as though he didn't know why he'd chosen this particular spot but then shrugged it off. I stayed hovering in the air above him, watching him curiously.

He picked something off the boulder and fiddled with it for a while. I couldn't make out what it was from this height so I dropped down a little bit.

That was when he suddenly tightened his grip on the object and ran it down his arm, cutting in deeply.

Flashbacks from months ago when I'd done a similar thing ran through my head. Although I doubted Fang's intentions were to remove a chip that kept leading the Erasers and Flyboys to us.

Acting out of sheer alarm and fear, I dove straight for Fang, who was watching the blood pool out of his arm. I slammed into him and we fell together off the boulder and into the sand below.

Before he could realise who I was, Fang landed a punch on my shoulder – one that, had I been a normal human, would have dislocated my shoulder. As it was, I was going to have a massive bruise there tomorrow and thankfully nothing more.

I grabbed his arm, the one that had blood all over it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded. I knew I sounded terrified but I didn't care. Fang needed medical assistance ASAP!

Fang stilled at my voice but he tried to pull him arm out of my death grip. Slowly my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. My hand loosened and he finally succeeded in pulling his arm free.

There wound that I had just seen Fang cut into his arm was no longer open and bleeding profusely. It had already sealed over, leaving just an ugly and raised scar in its place.

Fang wiped the blood away with his shirt, looking anywhere but at me.

"What. The. _Hell?_" I whispered slowly.

Yeah we all healed quickly, but never that quickly. That there – that was unnatural even by our standards.

Slowly Fang lifted his head so he was staring into my eyes. I gasped as I saw the fear and desperation in those dark pits he called eyes.

"Please Max…" he pleaded.

I swallowed but didn't move. I couldn't leave him, no matter what happened. He was my Fang and I would help him no matter what.

"How did you do that?" I asked. "Is it a new power you developed?"

I swear I saw relief fill his eyes for a second but then it was gone, all emotion with it. He was back in Fang mode – all emotions safely locked away.

He shook his head. "This is the result of a more advanced experiment."

"What do you mean?" Because this wasn't confusing at all.

He sighed. I could see he really didn't want to talk about this but I wanted answers. I needed to know why my best friend was shutting me out.

"Max, can we not…" he began, grabbing my hands in his.

There it was again – that moment where his eyes met mine and I couldn't help that small skip of my heart beat. It had happened earlier in the cave and now again. I couldn't pull my eyes away this time – not when Fang was about to reveal everything. Besides, I'm not really sure I wanted to.

"Fang just tell me. It won't change how I feel about you." Whoa! Where'd that come from?

I pulled my hands from his gently and forced myself to look down at them. Anywhere but his eyes. He scoffed and stood up. I quickly leapt to my feet and grabbed his hand again.

"I'm serious!" I retorted, almost angrily.

He spun back to me and then, before I could move, he leant his head down and kissed me. Elation filled me and I couldn't stop my body from returning the sentiment. It was… magical. Corny I know but it was the only word that came close to the real description.

All too soon he was pulling away. I struggled to slow my frantically racing heart but I could see Fang didn't miss my breathlessness. He smiled kindly.

"Max," he whispered softly, his face still only centimetres from mine. "You're not ready for the truth."

"Yes I am," I persisted.

He shook his head, straightening back to his full height. "I saw the look you gave me when you saw my arm. Trust me, you're not ready."

"But I can help you!" I said.

"No you can't," Fang replied seriously. He stepped away from me and suddenly lifted himself into the air.

Quickly I followed him. Thankfully he only returned to the cave where everyone was still asleep. Without a word Fang went back to bed, turning his back to me.

Confused and fighting back a range of emotions, I followed his direction and climbed back under my blanket. Within minutes I was asleep.

I woke to Angel's insistent shaking of my shoulder. I turned groggily to her, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

"Max! Fang is gone!" she cried.


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! And I have to thank Wikipedia for some of the stuff in this chapter… some answers will be provided in this chapter as well. Thanks _pinkcatheaven_ as usual!_

FANG POV –

"Fang, hi."

Dr Martinez seemed surprised to see me. She glanced quickly behind me before returning her gaze to me.

"Where are Max and the others?"

Then she caught sight of the blood on my shirt.

"Fang what happened?" she pulled me inside, looking all over me for any sign of the injury. "Are you alright? Where is Max?"

I pushed her away and stepped back.

"I'm fine and so is everyone else," I assured her.

Slowly Dr Martinez nodded although I could see in her eyes the disbelief and fear that lingered still.

"Honestly Dr Martinez we're all okay," I reaffirmed. "I actually came here for a different reason."

"Which is? And what have you been up to?" she nodded her head at the blood on my shirt.

"Can we sit down first?" I asked.

"Oh of course!"

Dr Martinez led me through into the lounge room. She motioned for me to sit and I flopped into the soft couch offered. She sat on the edge of the one opposite and stared at me expectantly. I was suddenly nervous, unsure as how best to approach the topic. So I decided to do what I do best.

"Where's Ella?" I asked casually.

"At school. Does this have anything to do with her?" Dr Martinez questioned.

Silently I shook my head. Damn, she was better than Max at questioning. Max demanded answers that I could easily dodge while her mum twisted my dodging around so that it returned to the topic at hand. Aw well, may as well get to the point.

"I need to talk to you about nanotechnology," I began.

Her eyes widened at the randomness of my question before her eyebrows dropped in confusion.

"Why?"

I swallowed. Just do it, I told myself.

"A few days ago Iggy and I were caught during a fight with some Flyboys. While we were at the School, the Whitecoats injected some form of nanotech into me. At the time I didn't know what it was but the day that the rest of the Flock broke us out, I heard the scientists talking about it. I've never even heard of this stuff before. That's why I was hoping that you would have some idea," I explained.

For a few moments there was silence in the room as Dr Martinez processed what I'd just told her.

"To be honest, I don't know all that much about it. I know it's a very broad field of science and that it's basically just developing materials on a nano-scopic scale. You know, creating tiny atom and molecule sized devices to further the advances in technology," she told me.

"But what sort of things can nanotech do?" I pressed.

She shrugged, thinking. "Anything really. It just depends on what the nanobots have been programmed to do."

"Could they be programmed to heal injuries?" I asked.

Now her eyebrows dropped and she stood up.

"Fang, what are you getting at?" she demanded. I could see she was getting impatient. Now I know where Max got it.

"To date I have been drowned, had my wrists slit, impaled, poisoned and my personal favourite – been pushed off the roof of a building while my wings were tied to my back and yet here I stand, a near perfect picture of health. I need to know if it's these nanobots that are doing this," I replied.

I avoided Dr Martinez's eyes as I waited for her to reply. Suddenly she stepped over and sat next to me. Then her arms were wrapping around my shoulders and she was pulling me into a hug. I just sat there stiffly, a little unsure as how to respond.

"Oh Fang, that must have been horrible!" she whispered as she pulled away.

I could see her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and I swallowed the lump in my throat. She had no idea.

"Was it these nanobots?" I demanded.

Dr Martinez studied me silently for a few seconds before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"It's definitely possible," she began. "All the creator would need to do was program the bots to find any imperfections throughout the body and fix them. It would be a simple task for such advanced technology."

I nodded silently. Another question that had been nagging at me since finding out the truth suddenly sprung to mind and I voiced it before I lost my nerve.

"So if it's so simple for these bots to heal an injury, why can't it heal scars?"

Max's mum frowned. "I don't know. Maybe that was just how they were programmed. Why?"

I held out my forearm for her to see the red scars that ran its length. Dr Martinez gasped her hand flying up to her mouth.

"Oh Fang," she murmured sympathetically. "Do you know what this means?"

"It means I can't die," I said softly. "No matter what happens to me, I won't die."

Her eyes were wide and she nodded sadly.

I hated seeing her pity.

"I don't want this!" I told her. "I just want to be normal – well as normal as I can get. Is there any way to get these nanobots out of me?"

A sad smile tugged at her face. Slowly she shook her head.

"The nanobots would have already merged with your DNA making them as much a part of you as your wings are," she replied. "I'm sorry."

I nodded, lowering my head. "So there's no way at all?"

She shook her head again.

I stood up quickly, unable to bear looking at the pity in her eyes. I thanked her and made for the door.

"Does Max know about this?" she asked as I opened the door.

"No," I replied quickly turning my head to face her. "And I don't want her too."

Before this conversation could continue I ran out the door and leapt into the air, unfurling my wings as I did so. I didn't know where I was going to go but I trusted my internal compass to lead me to where I was needed.

I flew slowly, giving myself time to think. Suddenly that nagging headache was back, although this time it was accompanied with a sharp stab of pain behind my eyes. Losing concentration, I began to drop. I couldn't think as pain blinded me and I didn't even notice the ground coming up to meet me.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_IMPORTANT NOTICE! DON'T READ AND YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND THE CHAPTER!! Okay, I need to explain some stuff before you guys read this. Firstly, this takes place about three months after the last chapter. Secondly this is sort of the last part in Max Ride: STWAOES… a few of the changes are that Max already knew that Dr Martinez and Jeb were her parents and that Ari didn't join them, in fact he is still evil and working solely for the Director. Also because Ari never joined them the group never split and Fang has been missing for three months so Iggy and the Gasman went with the girls to Germany to stop the Director. In case any body noticed, Total is absent from this story because I forgot about him at the start and it would just be stupid to put him in now. I think that's all… if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask and I will answer them! Ok, thanks guys! You're all the best reviewers any one could ask for and I love your enthusiasm!! THANK YOU!!_

* * *

IGGY POV –

Max hasn't been the same since Fang's second disappearance. For a while she had been determined to find him and so we'd spent over a month searching every place she could possibly think of including the School and all of its varying branches, places we'd stayed before and even Max's mum house. Dr Martinez had been the only one to provide any clue as to where he was, and even that was a dead end.

Once we'd exhausted all possible and impossible locations for him to be found, Max just sort of gave up. She lost all determination and purpose and started withdrawing into herself. That hopelessness had thankfully broken a couple of weeks ago but only because we'd had a run in with the Flyboys again. None of us were injured too badly but it had served as a wake up call to our deteriorating leader.

Something had snapped in her and she was now all gung ho for taking out the Director of the School and all Itex branches. So that's what we'd been doing for the past couple of weeks. Nudge, who had taken over Fang's blog, had discovered that said Director was hiding out in some facility in Germany somewhere. As soon as she'd mentioned this to Max, her resolve had strengthened and off we went on a one way trip to our impending doom.

Angel had managed to get us onto a plane using those freaky mind control powers that she has and as soon as we touched down on German soil, Max had rushed off again. It was like she needed this distraction so that she didn't focus on Fang's disappearance. I wasn't sure which one I preferred – the let's-all-go-to-our-deaths Max or the moping-about-all-hating-towards-the-world Max. Both were quite poor resemblances of the actual Max.

At this very moment we were sitting in a dungeon under the Director's headquarters, all five of us chained to the wall by an ankle. We had also been fitted with some kind of collar thing but we weren't entirely sure what it did yet. Max suspected it would electrocute us if we didn't do what we were told and I was inclined to agree.

I was sitting against the hard wall behind me, my knees drawn up to my chest.

"Max? What are we supposed to do now?" I heard Gazzy ask.

It was too difficult to pin a direct location in this dungeon as everything echoed and there was a leak somewhere whose dripping kept messing with my hearing. The only thing I could discern was whose voice belonged to whom. It was frustrating to say the least.

"Just hold tight Gaz," Max replied. "They will make a mistake, they always do."

I lowered my head onto my knees. I hoped Max was right. My fingers played absentmindedly with the shackle around my ankle. It was loose enough to not rub against my skin but tight enough that I couldn't pull it off. I could feel the old lock that held the two halves together and wished for the millionth time that the Director's lackeys hadn't searched us before putting us down here. They'd confiscated all of mine and Gazzy's bombs and even found our lock picks which had been shoved in the elastic part of our pants; you know that part that keeps them up.

Suddenly I heard footsteps and I glanced up, trying to figure out which direction they were originating from. It could have been my left, but then the echo could be throwing me off so maybe it was my right. I sighed and dropped my head back onto my knees. It was no use, I had no idea.

"Come to impart some sage fatherly advice?" Max asked sarcastically.

Oh yeah, we'd also found out that Jeb was working here again. Awesome stuff, no?

"No Max," Jeb replied. "The Director has requested an audience with you so I've come to collect you all."

"And what the Queen decrees, the Queen receives," Max muttered.

I heard Nudge and Gazzy giggle a bit but then the clanking of chains muffled every other sound. The footstep grew louder and I took that to mean Jeb was walking towards me. I lifted my head and suddenly my head exploded in pain.

It felt as though a thousand white hot pokers were being shoved into my eyes and someone had taken a hold of my brain and was trying to wring all the water from it. Now I knew how the washing felt.

Vaguely I heard people shouting my name but I was so far from reality that I couldn't respond even if I wanted to. Thousands of images were flickering through my mind, like a series of still photographs flickering together to create a patchwork movie.

I could see dozens of unfamiliar faces but there was one that appeared recurringly. Although I hadn't seen that face for a very long time, there was no mistaking the olive coloured skin and black mop of hair. They'd been the same since childhood; the only difference was he'd matured.

The images flicked through faster as though there was limited time left and it needed to play all the way through before time ran out. I saw Fang with the unfamiliar faces countless times although there was one in particular he seemed to always be with. But then the images changed and Fang was no longer with those people – he was flying. There was determination in his eyes and he seemed to be pushing himself to go as fast as he possibly could. If I wasn't mistaken, I would say there was also fear in his eyes but the images kept flickering before I could get a decent look.

Again, the images changed and there we were the five remaining members of the Flock. We were surrounded by fighting Erasers and other half breeds like ourselves. We were also fighting, trying to stay alive. Suddenly Fang appeared and swooped in to help us. He fought like a madman, taking no prisoners and not holding back at all. A piercing scream filled my head followed by a bright white light.

Then the images were gone. As fast as they'd come, they'd left, thankfully taking the pain with them. Who had screamed? It had sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn't quite place it.

"Iggy?" the Gasman was shaking my arm, fear clearly evident in his voice. "Come on Ig, talk to me man."

"I'm okay Gaz," I murmured, voice sounding slightly hoarse.

I swallowed, before realising what my vision had meant.

_Angel!_ I shouted in my mind. I couldn't let Jeb find out.

_Yeah?_ Her voice was worried but curious at the same time.

_Tell everyone that Fang is coming! He's going to save us._


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Ok, sorry it took a while guys but I had to take advantage of the excellent weather we've had here for the past couple of days! Anyways, this chapter takes place at a similar time to the last one. And thanks again for all your awesome reviews! You are all the reason why this story is still going! Haha but anyways enjoy!_

FANG POV –

I could hear the crowd inside the huge tent, could feel the excitement in the air. I swallowed and ruffled my wings, trying to beat back the nerves that were racking my body. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and instinctively I pulled my wings back in against my chest.

Spinning around, my whole body tense and ready for a fight, I found myself face to face with a bright eyed girl. She was my age with blonde hair and dark brown eyes. I relaxed as I recognised her.

"Hey Anna," I muttered.

She smiled at me. "Tense much?"

I grimaced and shrugged.

"Don't worry, the people will love you!" Anna said with a huge grin.

Anna genuinely seemed to think that too, I could see it in the glow her face emitted when she smiled. I think that she just liked the fact that she was accepted here and that she'd now found someone like her to relate to. That was how we'd become friends so fast – Anna was a child experiment too. Her DNA had been injected with cheetah DNA, making her lightning fast with equally as quick reflexes.

"So we'll be going on last because Samson has rigged up this totally cool obstacle course for us," Anna was saying. "It's like got all these mazes and random obstacles all throughout it…"

I tuned out, smiling encouragingly at her as though I was actually listening. She was a nice girl and all but man could she give Nudge a run for her money. I sat down at the little desk that had been provided for me and opened my new laptop. Every now and then I would nod at Anna just to keep up my pretence.

I connected to the Internet through someone else's network and typed in a familiar website. The drop bar came down after I'd only typed a few letters and I clicked on the first option. Within seconds the website had loaded and there printed in bold letters across the top was FANG'S BLOG. Original I know, thought of it myself. Apparently Nudge hadn't thought to change it yet.

About a month after I'd dropped off the radar Nudge had taken over updating my blog. She updated daily (she didn't miss a single day) and was very expressive about what she wrote. She would always go into great detail about what the Flock had accomplished that day – the hardest ones to read were the ones written not long after I disappeared. Nudge had said that Max wasn't coping well and Iggy was doing his best to pull everything back together and while they all sounded as upbeat as Nudge could make them, I could tell she was missing me too.

As time moved on, Nudge's blog updates began to change slightly in the way they were written and I knew that she was accepting my absence and beginning to deal with it. It saddened me to know that they were all moving on and I couldn't even blame it on myself. It wasn't that I was choosing not to go back to the Flock, it was that I couldn't. I would do anything to be with them now but I couldn't – not after what had happened when I woke up after falling into the forest after talking with Dr Martinez.

I shivered at the memory and forced myself back to the present. I scrolled down the page, searching for Nudge's most recent update. A frown tugged at my lip as I realised she hadn't update for a couple of days now. Quickly I scanned the last entry – something about going to Germany. I could almost feel the excitement Nudge had felt as she typed the blog entry. Apparently they were taking a plane there, something none of us had felt the need for before. There was nothing more after touching down at the airport in Germany.

"Fang!" Anna snapped, grabbing my shoulder and turning me round to face her.

She was clearly annoyed, that much was obvious but at the moment I didn't particularly care. Something was wrong. It wasn't like Nudge to miss the chance to update; sometimes she even updated a couple of times a day because something had caught her fancy. The Flock was in trouble. Max was in trouble.

Something stirred deep inside my mind as I thought about Max. I pushed it away quickly, focusing on the Flock as a whole. I didn't want a repeat of the First Time.

"Fang what's wrong?" Anna asked me.

I blinked, snapping out of my daze. Anna was staring at me, her brown eyes wide and concerned. I remembered a time when Max had looked at me like that… I swallowed and pushed all thoughts out of Max out of my head.

"I think something has happened to the Flock," I told her.

I watched as her eyes widened and her hands flew up to her mouth.

"How do you know that? Are they alright? What happened?"

I held up my hand to stop the onslaught of questions and waited until she calmed down a little. Then I spoke.

"Nudge updates the blog almost religiously but for almost a week now there have been no new entries. Her last update was about a little trip they were taking to Germany and I know for a fact that Max wouldn't fly halfway across the world in an aeroplane just for a holiday. That girl always has a plan, an ulterior motive for everything she does."

"So what are you going to do?" Anna asked, flopping down on my tiny bed.

I glanced back at the laptop, scanning through all of her recent updates.

"I have to find them," I murmured. There was no way I could ignore the fact that my family was in trouble. Nothing would stop me from helping them in every way I could.

"What if you see Max?" Anna said, almost in a whisper.

We both shivered at the memory of what had happened after I woke up and I found Anna leaning over me. Anna even had a physical token to remember it by. I don't think I can say sorry enough times to cover what I almost did to her.

"I'll deal with it. The Flock are my family and they need me."

With that, I slammed the laptop shut and walked out of the cabin. Almost directly in front of me was a giant tent, its sides made from different coloured strips. I could hear the life inside the tent, the lions roaring, the clowns beeping the horns on their little cars, the crowds cheering.

It looked as though the people wouldn't be getting their extravagant final act but they would still get to see Anna's talents, albeit not betted against mine.

Without turning to say goodbye to Anna, I leapt into the air, unfurling my wings as I did so before beating strongly against gravity. Mere seconds later I was soaring through the bright afternoon sky, leaving the circus and my home for the last few months behind. I would miss them but I would be back, if only to repay the debt of kindness they'd shown me.

_Alright guys, when you review I'd also appreciate it if you put in your opinion on my matter of a character death. Do you guys want someone to die and if so who? Ok thanks! Until next time…_


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

MAX POV –

We were led into a giant arena where a small official party was waiting for us on a raised platform. We weren't the only people gathered in the arena; in fact I'd say we were the smallest group there. I could see about a hundred people standing around nervously, no one speaking or fidgeting.

"Why doesn't anyone escape?" Nudge whispered from my elbow.

I glanced up and saw the brilliant blue sky shimmer in the sunlight. There was not a cloud in sight – nor was there any sign of Fang yet. I hoped that Iggy's little premonition or whatever he'd had was not lying to me.

"Maybe they can't," I replied. "Not everyone has wings Nudge."

"But they do all have one of these," Angel muttered, tugging at the collar around her neck. We still hadn't figured those ones out yet.

"And I can hear a buzzing which I'm guessing is a force field of some kind," Iggy added.

I glanced quickly from Iggy back to the sky and noticed the shimmering again. Ok, so it wasn't just the sky's natural beauty I'd seen. I didn't like the thought of there being a force field around the arena. The sky was where I belonged and to be cut off from it like that was almost as bad as the dungeon we'd just been hauled from.

"Well I guess that means we're staying until our gracious host sends us packing," I muttered.

At that moment the Director stood and began to address us. She droned on and on about how great she was and how successful her many experiments had been. Not once did I hear her give credit to the Whitecoats – the machines behind the ideas – but then I'd never really expected her to. She was being far too modest as it was.

Within seconds I was bored. I glanced around the arena, just looking for something exciting to distract me. Beside me, Iggy and Gazzy were playing Naughts and Crosses in the dirt at their feet. Gazzy kept muttering where he'd placed his cross so Iggy could have his go. Next to them, Nudge was fiddling with her hair, staring hard at nothing in particular.

I glanced to my other side and saw Angel glancing from person to person and I didn't need to be a genius to figure out she was reading their minds. I turned to the rest of the crowd and saw that a lot of them had lost that fearful nervous jitter and was just looking plain bored. Even the majority of the official party were yawning or talking to their neighbour in hushed voices.

I smiled. It didn't take the Director long to realise this too. She began to wrap up her biography and suddenly waved her hand towards us, her little experiments all together like a family reunion.

"These are my most successful experiments, all of them strong survivors. Their DNA has been crossed with that of an animal, each of them a different one. I have been training them and they are all capable fighters who fight only to win," she was finishing.

I was beginning to get an idea of what the Director was leading up to. Just to confirm my suspicions, Angel has to go and read her mind doesn't she?

My baby's wide blue eyes turned to me, horror and disbelief burning away her innocence.

"She's selling us," she whispered none too softly.

I saw Gazzy and Iggy turn to her, they're eyes confused. Slowly they stood from their game – I think Iggy was winning – and moved closer to us. Nudge grabbed my hand and held on tight.

"The Director is going to sell every one of her experiments to those representatives of other countries. Then we're going to be used as weapons," Angel continued.

"There goes my dream of becoming the next Master Chef," Iggy said casually.

We laughed at him, glad that he could make light of the situation. But when we turned back to see what the Director was saying, we realised she'd fallen silent. She was staring at us, myself in particular. And let me tell you if looks could kill, there would have been a massacre in the arena. Good thing I invented the Max Massacre Stare or else I would have been cowering like everyone else.

Instead I just stared back steadily, holding her gaze impassively. Fang would have been proud. I nearly flinched as I thought of him but forced myself to swallow and bury him in my mind again.

"Line them up," the Director suddenly called.

A small army of Flyboys and Erasers appeared out of the tunnels that lead into the arena and began to roughly push us into lines. There were about a dozen in each row and six rows that I could see. We were lucky enough to get front row seats, right at the start of the line.

"The first five that you see here," began the Director, "are quite resourceful and are our best fighters. They were allowed to grow up under controlled circumstances outside of the facility and consider themselves to be a family."

The group of official looking people leaned forward to get a better look at us. Some of them talked among themselves while others just stared hard at my Flock, assessing us.

"They certainly look fit enough and the attachments they have formed with one another could be useful if they prove difficult to control," one of them said. His accent was strong and hard to pick but his skin was a pasty white. I bet he didn't get out much. "But they are just teenagers, all of them are."

"And that is the beauty behind them being used as weapons. They are young, fit and healthy and none of them look like they could do anyone any harm. They would make excellent stealth fighters," the Director said. She sounded _way_ too keen on the idea.

A few of the representatives nodded their agreement before sitting back in their chairs, content.

"Have you any further questions?" asked the Director.

Nobody spoke up so she smiled and motioned to the Erasers behind me and the Flock. We were pushed forward so we stood separate from the others.

"These five come as a set as they work well in a team and rely on each other," the Director said. "We shall start the bidding at $50,000."

I stood there, listening to the bidding rise higher and higher, my anger and frustration building with it. When the bidding reached $1,000,000 I couldn't take it any more. There was no way I was being sold. And where the hell was Fang?

Without a word, I spun on the balls of my feet and kicked the Eraser behind me. He slammed backwards, knocking down behind the poor experiment behind him. They both fell to the ground in a heap of flailing limbs but I hardly noticed. I'd moved on already, grabbing the next two Erasers and slamming their heads together with vicious force. I heard the dull thud and they dropped unconscious.

By now, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge and Angel had joined me, attacking as many Erasers as they could. It wasn't long before a trend started and all the other experiments began getting their revenge. Anger was still pounding in my ears as I took out another Eraser and a few Flyboys. When I could see no more near me, I took a moment to catch my breath and find the Flock. They hadn't strayed far from me but I could see that we were leaving behind a trail of destruction that any blind guy could follow.

"Come on guys," I shouted and when everyone was around me, I lowered my voice. "We have to get out of here so stay together and stay close."

As quickly as we could, we made our way towards the nearest tunnel. Angel and Nudge were leading, forcing people aside as we raced along. The Gasman came next, Iggy's finger through one of his belt loops so he didn't fall behind. I brought up the rear so I could keep an eye on everyone.

I guess we might have made it if we'd remembered those blasted collars around our neck. We could have done something about them, like take them off somehow. But as it was, my theory was proved correct and every experiment within the confines of the arena fell to the ground, screaming as electricity coursed through their bodies.

I clutched at the collar as I writhed on the ground, trying to pull it off with sheer force. It didn't work and I could feel myself slowly losing consciousness.

"Max!" I heard someone shout and my heart nearly stopped then and there. That cry was filled with so much passion and feeling, something I'd thought I'd never hear from the owner of the voice.

I turned my head slowly, groggily as a tried to find him. The electrical current had ceased but I was still feeling the effects on my nerves. Slowly my eyes were closing and blackness was taking over.

No! I needed to see him… had to tell him…

I couldn't even finish the thought as the electricity won and I was pulled into the dark.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Sorry about the wait guys but I had some technical difficulties but it should be all good now. So here's the next chapter, which I wrote in a dazed state due to lack of sleep. Sorry if it is half-arsed. _

FANG POV –

I was absolutely starving by the time I reached Germany. I'd snuck onto a commercial flight leaving early in the morning and hidden in the baggage hold where any form of sustenance was lacking. As soon as the flight had landed I snuck away. There was no time to waste, not when the lives of my family where at stake.

The only problem I had once in Germany was finding out where I was going. Nudge hadn't specified where they were going on the blog so I had found an internet cafe in Berlin and logged on for the first time in months. It felt strange, revisiting something so familiar yet so foreign. Nudge hadn't changed the password so I was on in seconds.

When an half an hour search through the sight had revealed nothing to me, I had to resort to asking the people. I hadn't wanted people to know anything was wrong but I wasn't risking the Flock's life on it. Within minutes of posting I had a dozen emails telling me the Flock's apparent location. The majority of the replies told me the same spot so I logged off, the address firmly in my mind.

I bought a donut and a slice of cheesecake before leaving the internet cafe. It wasn't going to be enough to sate my hunger but at the moment I wasn't sure anything would. I found an alley that was empty and out of the way before taking off, feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline that came with flying.

I flew as fast as I dared, munching as I searched for the Einsames Schloss. I wasn't too sure on what the name meant in English but as soon as I saw it, I knew I could give you a rough guess. Standing by itself on the top of a small hill was an enormous castle. It looked like something straight out of history, its grand structure and ancient battlements speaking of something long forgotten. I was in awe and nearly forgot why I had come. But then I had a small run in with a flock of local birds who were as startled as I was when we nearly collided in midair.

That small flock of birds reminded me of my need to find my family and so I shot off towards the lone structure on the horizon without another thought. As I drew nearer, the all too familiar sounds of fighting reached my ears. I knew without a doubt that Max would be fighting back in any way that she knew how, the rest of the Flock fighting just as fiercely.

I kept my emotions on a tight leash as I drew closer to the noise. I had to keep reminding myself not to focus singularly on Max but on the entire Flock as a unit. They were all my family, the only people in the world that it would hurt to lose. But Max, Max I would not be able to cope with losing. Max was more than family to me, she was my...

A surprisingly strong anger and aggression suddenly gripped me, making my muscles tense and my head throb. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the collective rather than the one. I couldn't let anything stop me from saving the one's I loved.

My wings nearly stopped beating when I saw the courtyard of the castle. There was just a mess of people. I could just about make out what was Eraser and then I'm guessing that everyone else was on our side, considering they were fighting the animals that had made our lives hell over the years. Of the Flock there was no sign.

No, wait. There. That trail of destruction, a long line of unconscious Erasers and Flyboys was easily identifiable as the work of my friends. I was following the trail when suddenly everything seemed to stop. A tension filled the air and then everyone who was not Eraser or Flyboy suddenly started twitching. It was horrible to watch, and even worse when my eyes suddenly found the object of my desire.

The Flock was on the ground, gripped by the same spasms as everybody else. They were huddled together and I couldn't stop my eyes from finding Max. She was slightly behind everyone else but I could see she was still struggling against whatever was making them spasm.

All at once, as though a switch was flipped, emotions and desires flooded my system. That burning anger and aggression was back, stronger than before. My mind was suddenly shouting at me to kill her, kill Max so that the world would be safe and my muscles wanted so badly to respond. But at the same time, my instinctual need to protect her and an all-consuming love – which I hadn't realised was so strong until now – stopped me.

"Max!" I shouted in anguish.

Fuelled by my emotions I flew straight down, needing to reach Max. Some level of my consciousness was still working and it started shouting alarm bells. Without thought, purely off instinct, my body began to tingle. I felt a slight resistance as I shot below the castle walls and into the courtyard. I vaguely registered that I had managed to phase again after all this time, but then I reached Max's unconscious body and all thoughts flew from my head.

_Kill her..._

The impulse shot through my nerves and I found my hands itching to curl around her delicate neck. It was exposed before me, so soft and tempting. Before I realised it, my hands had moved to her throat and had begun to tighten.

Max gave a little cough as she struggled to get air into her lungs.

"What are you doing?"

Angel's voice startled me out of my trancelike state and I looked down at my hands. Horror and shame made me snatch my hands back before I noticed everyone beginning to sit up. Max's eyes were fluttering open but I shoved myself away from her, terrified that that impulse would return.

I glanced around me to see Iggy, the Gasman, Nudge and Angel all staring at me, a mixture of emotions on their faces. I dropped my gaze from their faces and stared down at my hands. I could feel Max's eyes on me but I wasn't able to look at her.

"Fang?" Max's voice was heaven to my ears.

She moved closer to me but I took a few steps back.

"Don't..." I warned her.

She paused. I couldn't look at her because I knew I would see the pain I was causing her but I couldn't stand this awkward silence either.

"We need to get out of here," I murmured and was thankful when Max softly agreed.


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

MAX POV –

We gathered together, trying to ignore everyone else as they timidly stood up and formed groups around us. They were all shaking and their eyes were filled with fear. I looked away from them. I had more important things to worry about. Like Fang and his apparent allergic reaction to me.

"How did you even get in here?" Iggy was asking when I tuned back in. "There's a force field surrounding the entire castle."

Fang shrugged. "I phased through it."

"Come again?" Had I just heard right?

He didn't look at me, keeping his gaze on Iggy. "I phase through it. It's a new ability that I got when Iggy and I were at the School. I only did it once and after that the Whitecoats kept injecting some drug into me to stop me from using it. After the drug wore off I couldn't figure out how to activate it again so I haven't used it."

I stared at him, both angry that he wasn't looking at me and fascinated by his new power.

"But that isn't the issue here," Fang continued in the longest speech I'd ever heard from him. "We need to get out of here."

"We can't yet, not without taking these collars off somehow," Nudge explained. She had a big grin on her face despite the situation and she kept a tight hold on Fang's hand as though terrified that he would disappear again if she let go.

"Let me have a look," Fang said.

He examined Nudge's collar briefly but carefully. I watched his face. Something was different with Fang and it wasn't just those nanobots that he'd told me about.

"Hey Ig," Fang suddenly said, "Can you run your fingers underneath the collar? Just in case."

Iggy moved towards Fang's voice and stretched out his hand hesitantly. Fang took his hand and guided it to Nudge's collar.

"There's something here," Iggy muttered as he concentrated. His fingers were probably a thousand times more sensitive than ours so it was no surprise that we hadn't found it before. "It feels like a catch of some kind. Ouch!"

Suddenly he pulled his hand back and clutched it to his chest. "I just got zapped!"

A thought occurred to me.

"Hey Nudge," I began. She looked at me curiously. "Try fiddling with that catch but use your magnetism."

A crease formed on her brow as she frowned. "Why?"

"I read somewhere that sometimes a strong magnet can disrupt an electrical current. I'm thinking that if you're strong enough you can short it out and we can get rid of them," I said.

Slowly, carefully, she did as she was told. Her fingers fiddled with the collar and then suddenly there was a click and the collar fell to the ground. Nudge looked up at me, beaming with excitement.

"It worked!" she cried.

I was glad because I could hear the Director calling for order again. The other experiments all around us were slowly making their way back into lines but I wasn't planning on hanging around long enough for us to join them.

"Quick," I motioned for her to get rid of our collars too.

Nudge moved as fast as she could, running her hand under the collars one at a time until she found the catch and then did her thing. I wasn't sure on what she did exactly and didn't particularly care. It worked and that was enough for me.

But the Director had spotted us. She could see we were making no effort to join the lines and that we had an extra person in the group now. Her eyes widened as she realised who it was and she quickly motioned for some Erasers and Flyboys to attack us.

"Get them!" she cried.

We didn't hang around. We left the collars behind us and ran for the tunnels. I had no idea where we were going but we were all running as fast as we could. The younger three were in front so that Fang, Iggy and I could protect them if it came down to that. We would distract the mutant bad guys long enough for Gazzy, Angel and Nudge to get away and hope that we were good enough to get away too.

We wound our way through the corridors, taking turns at random when they popped up. I noticed that the tunnel was getting lighter. Hopefully that meant that we were coming back into the open.

I could hear the Erasers and Flyboys behind us but they were falling behind now. They were better at endurance than mad dashes around a twisty castle tunnel and I was silently thankful for the lightness and agility of us bird kids. I saw a door appear ahead off to one side and made one of my snap decisions.

"Quick in!" I shouted.

Angel grabbed the doorknob and pushed. The door swung soundlessly open and we piled in. I was the last in and I slammed the door shut behind me. I saw a heavy bolt that slid across to lock the door and shoved it home.

Then I turned to see where we were. My blood ran cold.

All around us, lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling were hundreds and hundreds of Flyboys.

We were silent, staring in horrified fascination. So this was how they were stored. Iggy, who didn't know where we were, broke the silence.

"What is it?" he asked softly. His voice echoed in the huge chamber.

It was Gazzy who answered. "Like a thousand Flyboys."

Iggy shuddered. "Let's move."

Walking softly, hoping that they were turned on or whatever, we made our way across the room and to another door. Angel opened it again and we stepped out into bright sunshine.

"What the...?" Nudge began, looking as confused as I felt.

We were in another courtyard area but this one was filled with exercise equipment.

"It must be like a training ground or something," Fang muttered.

"Come on, let's go," I announced.

"What about the force field?" Iggy asked.

I turned to Fang. Who still wouldn't look at me. Jerk. I pushed my angry thoughts away. We had to get out of here.

"Do you think you could extend your phasing out around us so that...?"

He was shaking his head. "It doesn't work like that and besides, I'm not sure that I will even be able to do it again."

I sighed. Back to square one then. We were becoming quite familiar now, square one and I. How were we going to get out of this stupid castle?

"Maybe we could use this?" Angel said.

We all looked over to where she'd walked. She was pointing to what looked like a clear tube that headed straight up into the sky.

"What is it?" Iggy asked.

Angel shrugged. "Don't know but I do know that it leads straight up to freedom."

I smiled at her. "Good work Angel. Come on guys."

We went one by one up the tube and soon we were free to spread our wings and soar.

We didn't go far because we were all tired and hungry so we stopped off in the nearest little town and got ourselves some food thanks to Angel's mind powers. Where would we be without them?

Next we found ourselves a comfy looking cave high up in the local mountain range and settled down for the night. We needed as much rest as we could get, so even though it was still midafternoon I told everyone to get some rest.

Fang began to move off, ready to join them but I needed to talk to him. I had too many questions and I didn't want to wait.

"Fang," I called.

He stopped and his whole body tensed but didn't turn to face me. I ground my teeth in irritation and balled my hands into fists.

"We need to talk," I said and didn't wait to see if he followed.

He would if he knew what was good for him.


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Okay you get a few answers in this chapter although if you are still confused tell me and I will clear it up for you. Thanks for all your support guys! You're the best!_

FANG POV –

As soon as she called my name, I knew there was no point in avoiding her. I couldn't run off again, I couldn't do that to everyone else, not just Max. I heard her walking out of the cave and sighed. Slowly I followed, wishing there was a simple answer for all of this.

I met Max up on the hill above the cave, trying not to think about her too much. I didn't want to try to kill her again.

"Fang?" she began and I swallowed.

Hearing her voice was wonderful but it was also painful to this new part of me. I hated that I couldn't look at her or go near her without that horrible desire filling me completely.

"Fang, would you look at me!" Max demanded.

I balled my fists in frustration. I wanted nothing more than to look at her, to see her deep brown eyes and her amazing smile. But I couldn't.

"I can't," I muttered softly.

Max was silent for a second. Then she stepped closer. Automatically I took a step back.

"What?" she finally said.

I didn't say anything. Inside I was seething. At the moment I was burning with loathing but it wasn't directed at Max. I hated those stupid Whitecoats like I'd never hated anything before. They did this to me with those stupid nanobots they injected. Because of their inhumane desire to mess with human DNA, I was unable to be with Max in any way – it was even getting more difficult to be just her friend.

"Talk to me Fang," Max murmured, taking a different tact. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong!

"I just... can't," I said.

Max stepped forwards again and again I stepped back. My back hit a tree and I was stuck between it and Max. Not good.

"What does that even mean? You can't what? You can't talk to me, you can't look at me, what else can't you do?" I could feel Max's anger and frustration beginning to bubble to the surface and just knew that she was getting geared up for a huge argument, which she intended to win.

But being able to sense that, knowing I was so close to Max was bringing those unwelcome feelings back. My whole body was tense, adrenaline flooding my veins as I readied to attack her.

"Max just stop!" I shouted. I was only holding on to my will by a tendril that was quickly fading.

And she did. I could feel how surprised she was by my sudden outburst, even more so by the commanding tone that I used.

Max was frozen and I took the opportunity to push myself away from the tree, towards the edge of the small cliff. I dropped my head into my hands, digging my nails into my temples as the fire burned inside me. I had my eyes squeezed shut as I focused on distracting myself.

I took a moment to focus on the cool breeze that was tugging at my jumper and immerse myself in the setting suns light.

Then, ensuring that I my attention was not on Max's presence behind me, I began to speak.

"I hate this," I began. "I hate those stupid nanobots that are inside me and I hate the Whitecoats even more for putting them there."

I sighed. "But the thing I hate most, is what they're restricting me from doing. I can't look at you, hell I can't even think about you for too long because it makes me want to kill you. There's this anger and hatred burning inside me that ignites stronger every time I focus on you and I can't control it. I hate myself for it but I'd hate myself even more if I succeeded in doing the nanobots wishes."

"Fang..." Max said.

"I nearly did kill you before!" I cried. Pain lanced through my heart at the memory of my actions and I forced myself to focus on the horizon again. "In the arena. You were unconscious and I couldn't stop myself from putting my hands around your neck and..."

I choked off, unable to continue.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked.

I shook my head. "How could I? When you woke up I was so ashamed I could barely admit to myself what I'd nearly done."

I heard her take a tentative step forward.

"Look, maybe we could visit my Mum and see what she can do about getting rid of these bots for you," she suggested.

"It won't work. I've already talked to her about it," I admitted. "I saw her the day I left you guys. She told me that there was no way of getting them out of me and that they were a part of me now. Something about them bonding to my DNA."

Max was silent and I knew she was thinking furiously.

"Well maybe we could..." she began but I cut her off.

"Look, don't go giving me hopeless dreams Max," I said. "If you don't know for sure that it will work, don't say anything at all."

"Hear me out," she persisted. I sighed but she ignored me. "Maybe we could go back to the School and convince the Whitecoats to reprogram the bots or something."

I scoffed. "Yeah because that's definitely going to work. Six bird kids who escaped their captivity and have been hiding from them ever since, waltz through the doors and just ask for them to change the programming of the nanobots they injected into one of them? Nope, don't see that one blowing up in our faces."

"I had no intention of just 'waltzing in' as you put it. I had more of a storming the place thing planned where we barge in, demand that the Whitecoats reprogram them on pain of death and then make a quick but daring escape before we get caught again," Max retorted.

I let myself think it over. Could it work? We'd done crazier things before and the majority of Max's crazy harebrained plans worked out for the better. Could this be another?

For a few moments I allowed myself to believe it would work – that we could somehow get into the School and convince those evil scientists to change the nanobots encoding. Although I would still ultimately be immortal with the whole healing thing, I would be able to have free will again. I would be able to look at Max without wanting to kill her; I would be able to touch her soft skin and imagine that she was mine and mine alone.

That thought, more than anything else, brought me to my decision. I needed to be near to Max to live and I couldn't do that while I was a constant threat to her life.

"Alright," I agreed softly. I stared hard at the sun as it bade farewell to another day. "Let's give it a go."


	18. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

IGGY POV –

I was still awake when I heard Max and Fang come back into the cave. I kept my eyes closed, my back to them but I listened carefully to everything they said.

"How are we going to tell them?" Fang murmured, almost completely silent.

"I don't know, I hadn't thought that far ahead," Max replied, equally as soft.

I had no trouble hearing them despite their breathy whispers but I had no idea what they were talking about. I assumed they were talking about us, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel and I but what did they have to tell us? Had they finally embraced the constant sexual tension between them? I tried not to laugh at the thought.

"I know Iggy won't like it," Fang said. "Especially not after last time."

Hey? This was definitely not about them being together. What wouldn't I like?

Max sighed. "This isn't about Iggy. It's about you and you need to remember that."

They were silent for a minute and I heard them pulling out their sleeping bags.

"I'll take first watch," Fang said.

"No I don't think so. Last time you were on watch you disappeared for three months," Max retorted. "We aren't losing you again."

"Max I'm..." Fang began but Max cut him off.

"Save it. Just go to sleep," she told him.

I could hear the hurt in her voice and knew Fang would too. Except he hadn't seen her during those three months to know just how bad the damage he inflicted on her was. Or how deep it ran. I had a feeling Max wasn't going to forgive him this quickly or easily.

Fang sighed and I heard them both moving around to get comfortable.

For a few minutes there was silence and then Fang spoke.

"Max?"

"What?" she said annoyed.

"I'm sorry if that means anything."

"Just go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," she replied after a pause.

Tomorrow? What was happening tomorrow?

All of a sudden, with a flash of brilliant light that pain was back was it was worse than before. It ripped at my consciousness, pulling me into its terrifying hold. For a few seconds the pain increased and then the images came. They were faster this time, flickering in and out of my mind before I had the chance to get a proper look at them.

As the images revealed themselves, something new happened and suddenly I was sensing everything. I could feel tension and anger in the air, but what caught my attention the most was the pungent smell of disinfectant. I would know that smell anywhere and it made my blood run cold. Now the images began to make sense as they slowed in urgency.

We were all in the School, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy and me fighting off a bunch of Erasers while Max and Fang were absent. Suddenly there was a shout and the vision me turned around. I shouted something at Gazzy and dashed from the room.

The pictures changed and I was swamped with the emotions that were flooding through the room. There was pain and hope, fear and love and it was all coming from the only four people present. Max was sitting on top of a woman Whitecoat, one hand around her throat the other in the process of punching her in the face. The other Whitecoat was fiddling with a few switches, his face a picture of fear and worry. Fang was lying on a steel bed, a drip attached to his arm, his eyes firmly closed.

Suddenly vision me entered and I cocked my head, listening. Max said something and I nodded, going to stand with the Whitecoat at the control switches just as Fang's body arched on the table. He cried out in pain before going limp.

A cold shiver ran through my body as a long, unbroken beeping filled the air. The vision blurred just as I heard Max cry out for Fang. Then it was gone.

I sat bolt upright, sweat drenched and shaking.

"Ig?" Max called.

I turned my head towards her, trying to calm down. My breathing was still haggard and I knew she could hear it.

"Hey Iggy what's wrong?" she came closer.

I heard her footsteps on the rough stone floor and then her smell was overwhelming me as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"You're shaking," she whispered and I could imagine the concern in her eyes.

"We can't go back to the School," I whispered urgently.

Max's hand froze on my shoulder, her fingers digging in.

"How do you...? What did you see?" her voice was emotionless.

Guessing where her face was, I looked straight at her.

"We can't go back there."

I needed to get this through to her but I couldn't say it, didn't believe it. I started to shiver and my whole body was tense but shaking.

"Iggy, calm down," Max hissed urgently.

But I couldn't. My whole body was going into shock and I couldn't calm down. Fang was going to die if we went back to the School. I had to warn them but my voice wasn't working.

"Fang! Fang!" Max shouted as her hands grabbed my arms, trying to stop me shaking.

I heard Fang roll over to see us. "What?"

"Iggy's going into shock," she cried.

Next thing I knew, Fang's warmth was beside me and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Iggy," he said in a soft, calm voice. "Iggy, you have to listen to me. Calm down. Whatever you saw, it hasn't happened yet. If you tell us what you saw then maybe we can stop it coming to pass."

Vaguely I could hear the other's waking up, asking what was wrong. I ignored them and tried to regain control of my body so I could tell them. Fang needed to know – it was his life in danger after all.

As I turned from Max's face to Fang's, I felt Nudge, Gazzy and Angel surround me too. My body was still shuddering but I no longer felt like I couldn't breathe. Nudge's hand slipped into mine and she gave it a gentle squeeze. Gradually my heart began to slow and the muscles in my throat allowed me to push out the words I needed to say.

"We can't go back to the School," I said. My voice was hoarse but I still felt the gaze that Max and Fang swapped.

"Why's that buddy?" Max asked carefully.

"Because Fang will die."


	19. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Sorry if this chapter seems a little boring but I thought it was needed just so the story flowed better... next chapter should be more exciting. And thanks for all the reviews guys! _

MAX POV –

There was an awkward silence that followed Iggy's announcement. My eyes had immediately flown to Fang's and I could tell he was thinking the same thing as me. There was no way that was possible while those nanobots were still in his body.

"Ig," I began, still staring at Fang. "That's not going to happen."

I laughed shakily. Everyone just stared at me. Nudge was clinging to Iggy's arm, her eyes wide in fear. I could see Iggy was still shaking and Gazzy and Angel were just staring open mouthed at Iggy. Fang lowered his eyes so he was staring at his hands, avoiding my gaze.

"I saw it," Iggy pressed.

"Yeah and he hasn't been wrong yet," Gazzy added unhelpfully.

I just raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged but didn't say anything more.

"Guys, Fang is not going to die," I said forcefully.

Angel lifted her head to stare at me, "We're going to the School though, aren't we?"

I looked between the four younger kids and knew they were remembering all the bad experiences they'd had there.

"No way!" Nudge said vehemently. "There is no way we're going back there. Don't you remember just a few months ago when they kidnapped Fang and Iggy? Don't you remember what they did to Iggy?"

"Shut up," I hissed angrily. "I remember only too well what they did to Iggy – and what they did to Fang too."

"Max," Fang said in a warning tone.

Too late I realised what I nearly revealed. Nobody knew about the nanotech that was inside Fang and I knew he didn't want the others to know.

"Look, you guys don't have to come but this is something Fang and I have to do," I said, using my 'closed subject' tone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Fang walk away and saw him sit in the entrance of the cave. He dropped his head in his hands and stretched his wings out behind him. I knelt down in front of Iggy and grabbed his shoulders.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked him.

He nodded silently but I could feel his shoulders still shaking.

"Good," I stood up but Iggy's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist in a tight grip.

He tugged me back down, his sightless eyes staring intently into my eyes. "Please don't go."

I swallowed. The kid was clearly terrified of whatever he'd seen – I'd never seen Iggy like this. Not even when we were younger and still at the School.

"Don't worry about us Ig," I replied softly. "Fang is not going to die."

He kept staring at me intently as though trying to make me see something that only he could – which would be a first. I just gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and he let go.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning," I declared before leaving the younger kids to join Fang.

He didn't acknowledge my presence but I didn't take offence this time. I knew everything now and I was more than ready to help him. It hurt me every time he flinched away from me and how he couldn't look me in the eye but I knew it wasn't because of anything I'd done or because he didn't like me. And hurting the Whitecoats for hurting my Fang was going to be fun.

"Maybe we should just tell them," he muttered. "It might calm Iggy down a bit to know about the bots."

I was quiet, not wanting to influence Fang into doing something he didn't want to do. This choice was his to make alone and I knew my place was just to support whatever he decided upon.

He sighed, "But I don't want them to look at me the way you did when you found out. That was hard enough."

I noticed his hands clench and shuffled a little away from him. A muscle in his jaw jumped visibly but he relaxed a little as I put some distance between us.

"I'm so sorry Max," he whispered.

If I wasn't mistaken, there was a slight catch in his voice, something that had never been there before. His eyes were screwed shut but I could tell he was angry and upset.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about. It's those stupid Whitecoats that are going to be sorry when I finish with them," I replied. I hated this side of Fang – it made me feel helpless that I could do nothing to comfort him, and I hated to feel helpless.

He didn't acknowledge my words but I knew he'd heard me. I stood up and yawned.

"Come on, we've got a big day tomorrow," I said.

Walking back into the cave, I addressed the rest of the Flock.

"Alright guys, back to bed. That's quite enough excitement for one night," I muttered.

Gazzy patted Iggy's shoulder comfortingly before he and Angel made their way back to their sleeping bags. Nudge stayed where she was, holding Iggy's hand tightly in her own. I didn't know what was happening between them but I was too tired to care at the moment.

I watched as the pair laid down side by side, turned towards one another. Nudge didn't once let go of Iggy's hand but I could see that he was no longer visibly shaken by his vision. I smiled lightly before grabbing Fang's sleeping bag and throwing it at him. He caught it without turning around and wrapped it around his shoulders after pulling in his wings.

I watched him in silence for a moment before curling into my own sleeping bag. I knew Fang wasn't going to run tonight so I was safe to sleep. I was so exhausted that sleep came easily but my night was far from restful. I had nightmare after nightmare, each of them starring Fang's death, right in front of me. I woke each time he died, my whole body sweating profusely but it wouldn't be long before I fell back to sleep and it would start all over again.


	20. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

FANG POV –

We left early the next morning, leaving Iggy in charge of Nudge, Gazzy and Angel. I wasn't comfortable leaving them all behind when Max and I were going into a particularly dangerous situation but I knew they could fend for themselves. Plus I preferred knowing they would be safe from the Whitecoats.

I could tell Iggy was doing his best not to say anything as Max and I got ready to leave. He kept his mouth firmly shut as Max left orders to stay out of the public eye unless there was an emergency but as we snapped our wings out in preparation to leave, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

He rushed over to me and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Be careful," he hissed softly. "And don't trust any of the Whitecoats, for any reason."

He pulled away before I could reply. Iggy moved back to Nudge's side and she took his hand as though it were her life. Okay, what was going on there?

I shrugged it off and waved to everyone.

"We'll see you soon," I promised, although a bad feeling was lingering in my stomach.

Max waved as well and then we were off.

I knew this trip was going to be difficult for me, with only Max as a companion but she had given me hope and strength and I was going to use that so I didn't end up killing her. I would focus on the intoxicating happiness that came with flying and steer all my thoughts clear of her presence so close by me.

But as much as I told myself I would ignore her, it didn't end up working. For me to ignore Max was like telling me to forget about living. She was everything that I loved in this world. She was my strength, my courage and my hope and there was no way I could just forget that she was glowing in the morning sun beside me.

As my thoughts kept turning back to Max, so my muscles kept tensing, winding myself tighter and tighter. My hands were balled in permanent fists by my side and my teeth clenched tightly together. Every now and then I would close my eyes to let my mind focus itself again but as soon as they opened again, Max's graceful body would light up my sight and my muscles would seize again.

We flew for five hours before we reached California. Both of us were exhausted and hungry and my body felt wired and tense. Max offered me a Mars Bars and a warm can of Coke and I took them gratefully, careful not to touch her hand. She had been mercifully quiet the whole trip, for which I was thankful. It would have been even worse if she'd added her voice to my torture.

"So have you got a plan?" I asked.

My jaw was sore from having clenched my teeth for so long but I worked it loose quickly. I gulped down the Coke quickly, waiting for Max's reply. When she didn't reply instantaneously, I risked glancing in her direction.

"Fang are you absolutely positive that you can't die?" she asked.

I sighed and decided to give her one more demonstration. Quickly, before Max could catch on to what I was doing, I crushed the Coke can in my hand and pressed the sharp sides into my skin. Blood welled out of the wound instantly but just as quickly the wound had sealed itself and all that was left was a light pink scar under a thin layer of blood. I wiped the blood away on my shorts and held out my arm.

"Proof enough?" I replied.

Max nodded slowly, her eyes wide with fear. "God Fang! I wish you wouldn't do that! It scares the hell out of me."

"It scared me when you did it to get that chip out of your arm," I retorted.

A small smile touched Max's lips. "Touché."

"So is there a plan?" I repeated to stop myself from thinking about that horrible day.

"I have half of a plan, the rest we improvise," she admitted.

I nodded slowly. "Sounds inspiring. I wonder if this was how Alexander the Great won so many battles, with half a plan and some improvisation."

"Ha ha," Max muttered. "But seriously."

I looked away from Max to stop the anger and hate from overwhelming me before motioning for her to continue.

"Well this kind of relies on that new ability of yours," she said. "If we can figure out how to get it working, you can phase through the door and open it from the inside. Then we sneak around until we find one of their labs that have the fewest Whitecoats and we lock ourselves in with them. I beat the hell out of them to get them to do what we want and then we can get those nanobots reprogrammed."

I was silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Well?" she asked.

"That's it?"

A pause.

"What about escaping again? And not getting you killed in the process? What if we can't get my power working or there are no labs with minimal Whitecoats in them? There are so many what if's in this plan of yours that I just don't see the point in risking it."

Max stared at me, slightly open mouthed. I don't think she'd ever heard me so verbal.

"Look I warned you it was only half a plan," she defended herself.

My face contorted with disbelief. "Yeah, but I thought you meant the better half of the plan!"

"Wow, thanks for all your confidence in me Fang. Good to see you've still got my back."

I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated. I could feel the anger simmering inside, waiting for the right moment to consume me. This argument was not helping me calm down.

Suddenly, without warning, Max stepped closer until she was right in my face and glared at me.

"Look I don't see you coming up with anything Mr Wonderful so it's my plan or you go back to wherever it was you disappeared to three months ago."

Her words stung but that was the least of my worries. That horrible feeling had gripped me and with Max so close, I couldn't just push it down. The anger flared and with a burning rush, it finally managed to possess me.

Too fast for her to notice, my fist lashed out and connected with the side of her face. I saw Max's eyes widen in surprise as she stumbled backwards but I didn't give her time to recover. I was on her again, this time though it was my booted foot that caught Max in the chest. She fell down, coughing and wheezing as she struggled to draw breath.

"Fang," she whispered, looking up at me with doleful eyes. "What are you doing?"

But I couldn't answer her. My body was consumed by the nanobots need to kill her. I couldn't control myself and watched in horror as I pushed Max onto her back and began pressing the ragged edge of the Coke can into her throat.


	21. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

MAX POV –

I was struggling to breathe as Fang pressed the can harder against my throat. He had my arms pinned to my side with his knees and there was a ferocious snarl on his face. I could feel the fear rising in me, even though I knew it was the nanobots reacting to their programming.

"Fang," I croaked, trying to wriggle free.

The pressure increased as did his anger. There were tears streaming down my cheeks as I realised he would only stop when he killed me. My death would not be brought about by Erasers or crazy scientists bent on changing the human genome but by my best friend, only person I loved beyond understanding.

I could feel the warm trickle of blood that was running freely down the side of my neck but I ignored it. Instead I locked eyes with Fang and was surprised by what I saw. His eyes shone with emotions – fear, pain, despair – as though he knew what was happening and was horrified by it but unable to do anything to stop himself.

I coughed feebly as I kept eye contact with Fang. I didn't want Fang to hate himself for killing me. It wasn't his fault; it was those stupid Whitecoats who did this to him.

"Fang no!"

Suddenly, with a rush of wind, Fang's weight was gone and so was the sharp aluminium of the can. Air rushed into my lungs as I heaved in breath and breath. When I could breathe a bit easier, I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around for Fang.

My eyes widened in surprise as I saw Iggy and the Gasman struggling to hold onto a frantically lashing Fang. The anger was still burning in his system and he was still glaring at me with hatred. Iggy and Gazzy both had hold of one of Fang's arms and weren't letting go. I watched in silence as Angel ran over to join them. Nudge dropped down beside me, trying to get me to show her the cut. I vaguely noticed she had the First Aid kit from my backpack but my attention was still on the small group trying to restrain Fang.

Angel reached a hand up to Fang's face, standing on tiptoes so she could reach. I didn't know what she was doing but suddenly Fang stopped struggling and sagged exhausted between Iggy and Gazzy. Angel removed her hand before helping the two boys lower Fang gently to the ground. He looked like he was asleep.

"What...?" I croaked.

Nudge had gotten a clean wipe and was dabbing at the wound on my throat. She must have put alcohol on it because it stung, causing me to hiss. She frowned apologetically but continued without stopping.

Angel came over and sat in front of me. "Iggy had another vision almost straight after you guys left. We came as quickly as we could."

"But..." I began.

"Stop talking Max," Nudge ordered and I fell quiet.

She bandaged the wound before packing the First Aid kit back into my pack.

"Angel told us everything," Nudge admitted. I frowned in confusion and she continued.

"She overheard Fang's thoughts and managed to put two and two together. We knew as soon as she'd told us that it was a mistake to let you guys do this on your own. You and Fang argue more than anyone I know and that would set Fang's emotions running high, allowing the nanobots to gain control of his system."

"But with you all here that would make Iggy's other vision come true," I protested. "You have to go back to the cave!"

Iggy left Gazzy to watch over Fang and came and sat with us.

"Max, these visions only show me the set future that we're on at the moment. There are countless ways to change that future I saw and besides, these nanobots seem to be able to heal Fang so I doubt he will actually die," Iggy said.

I knew he was trying to consol me, like I had for him back in the cave but it didn't make me feel any better. Being here would put them in danger, especially considering where we were going.

"We're not leaving you Max," Gazzy called over to me.

"Yeah, we're a Flock and we stick together," Nudge agreed.

"You really should have listened to Max," someone said.

I knew that voice and turned quickly to see Ari and a whole army of Flyboys. They had surrounded us while we were distracted and had guns aimed at us. I glared at Ari, blinking back the lightheaded feeling that came with my sudden movement. I heard Fang groan behind me and barely stopped myself from turning to check he was alright.

"U and A guys!" I shouted. I felt Nudge and Angel react instantly, beginning to stand and stretching out their wings.

"Oh I wouldn't if I were you," Ari said.

Suddenly Fang groaned again and I couldn't stop myself from turning this time. Both Fang and Gazzy weren't where we'd left them. They had both been grabbed by two Flyboys and had guns pressed against their temples and hands over their mouths to stop them from calling out. Fang's eyes were wide and slightly disorientated but he was struggling fiercely. Gazzy was wriggling furiously too but he was smaller and less powerful than Fang so his efforts weren't as hard to keep a hold of.

"How about we tuck those wings back in nice and slow now so nothing bad happens to your friends," Ari continued calmly.

I watched Nudge and Angel comply, doing their best to keep their emotions hidden. I was proud of them.

"Now are you going to play fair Max?" Ari asked and I turned back to look at him. "Or are we going to have to persuade you a little better?"

I narrowed my eyes in hatred as Ari smiled innocently. Slowly I stood up and faced Ari.

I sighed dramatically before raising my hands in surrender. Then I smiled casually.

"Take us to your leader."


	22. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

FANG POV –

They took us back to the School where we were left in a room with a bunch of Flyboys. Our hands were tied in front of us and the Flyboys had us standing in a rough circle. Strangely enough, they hadn't bothered to restrain us in any other way. I was slowly working my way out of the tight ropes around my wrists, trying to ignore Max's shoulder rubbing against mine. I still couldn't believe what I'd almost done to her.

"So," Max muttered. "Do you come here often?"

I looked up from my raw wrists and saw she was talking to the Flyboys. They just stood there impassively, the guns still aimed at us. Needless to say they didn't reply. I turned my attention back to the ropes.

"Nah can't say I'm much of a fan either," she continued. "I mean it's just too... white."

More silence.

"So when's our interview with the boss? I want to be prepared before I go in. Can you give me any tips? Should I have worn something more white and coat-like or done my hair differently?"

"Max shut up," Iggy muttered but I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"You're right Ig," Max said with a dramatic sigh. "I should just be myself and he'll love me."

I rolled my eyes but then lifted my head when I heard the door open. Ari walked in with Jeb in tow. Max performed a sloppy bow beside me.

"Your highness!" she cried. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence."

Jeb looked slightly amused for a second before his face returned to its previously emotionless state. Ari just growled at her and punched her in the gut. Max coughed but otherwise didn't respond to the violence. I tensed though.

Ari grabbed her around the throat and started to squeeze.

"Not so cocky now are you Maxie?" he taunted.

I clenched my teeth and balled my fists as I tried not to rise to Ari's bait. But Max was starting to choke now and it bought back the memories of what I'd nearly done to her. I could feel the nanobots starting to get agitated and I forced myself to think about something else. But then Max coughed and I knew I couldn't ignore it any more.

I let loose the anger that flooded me whenever Max was close but this time I had a target between me and her. I could focus my anger on Ari instead of attacking Max. Suddenly I felt the ropes fall away and realised I had managed to phase again.

Maybe it had something to do with my emotions? The thought flittered across my rage-consumed brain before it was gone and I grabbed Ari from behind. Using my anger I plucked him away from Max and threw him into the surrounding Flyboys.

From there, chaos ensued. Max got up, coughing and staggering but eyes flaring in anger. She charged at the nearest gathering of Flyboys and, using her bound hands to her advantage, knocked them out with double fisted punches. It didn't take long for Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel to join the fight.

I continued to focus all my anger and hatred towards Ari, imagining his face to be Max's just to keep the fuel there. It wasn't difficult because that was what the nanobots wanted to see. I ran up to him and jumped on top of him so he couldn't run away. He struggled underneath me but it wasn't doing him any good. I was burning with a rage that strengthened me indefinitely.

By the time someone pulled me off him, Ari was just a beaten piece of meat that was barely recognisable. Instinctively I fought against the person who had pulled me off Ari but when I heard Gazzy's voice I stopped and allowed myself to calm down.

As my chest stopped heaving, I looked around me. Nudge and Angel were tag-team fighting and Iggy was holding his own against three Flyboys. All of the Flyboys had abandoned their weapons in the confines of the room and were fighting with their fists. Max was following Jeb as he raced from the room. I saw her duck out of the room and every instinct was yelling at me to follow her.

Gazzy must have noticed where I was looking and pushed me in the direction of the door.

"Go, we've got this under control," he told me.

I nodded as I rushed after Max. I left the room at a sprint and was just in time to see Max slide around a corner, her wings out for balance. I pushed myself faster, not wanting to lose her in all these corridors.

When I reached the corner and followed her around, the corridor before me was empty. Slowing down, using these moments of confusion to catch my breath, I glanced down all the other hallways that branched off of this one as I past them.

As I was nearing the end of the corridor, despair was starting to set in. Where had they gone? I hadn't been that far behind them. Maybe I'd turned the wrong corner? I glanced down the next hallway and nearly ran face-first into Max.

"Whoa!" she cried as she stumbled backwards.

She looked up at me, her face flushed. "Fang? What are you doing here?"

"I followed you," I told her. I clenched my fists and stepped back from her instinctively. "Where's Jeb?"

She shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. "I don't know. He disappeared before I could catch him."

We stood there for a few moments in an awkward silence. I was carefully avoiding eye contact with Max but I could feel her gaze on me. Then she nodded back the way I'd come.

"Come on, we need to find a lab somewhere with some Whitecoats in it," she muttered.

I nodded as she pushed past me and led the way down the corridor. Every now and then she would peek into a room but always closed the door and continued on.

We made our way back into the previous corridor and walked slowly back towards the room where the rest of the Flock were.

Suddenly two scientists walked casually around the corner, discussing something between themselves. Max turned to me with a smile and I nodded, knowing exactly what she was thinking. We broke into a sprint and were tackling the two Whitecoats before they could realise what was happening.

We pulled them into the nearest lab and closed the door behind us. Max instantly started laying into the woman while I pressed the other one up against the wall. He looked absolutely terrified.

"You know about the nanobots in me?" I hissed at him, narrowing my eyes threateningly.

The man swallowed but nodded silently.

"Good. Can you get rid of them?"

This was just me being curious as I'd accepted that they were in me for good.

The scientist shook his head. "They were designed to match your DNA and bonded to you the instant they were injected into you."

"What about their programming? Can you change that?" I continued.

For a second the Whitecoat said nothing and I knew the answer. I slammed him against the wall, my grip around his collar tightening.

"Yes!" the man cried.

I nodded before releasing him.

"Good, then let's get to it."


	23. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

MAX POV –

I kept a tight hold on the woman Whitecoat beneath me, all the while watching what Fang and the other Whitecoat were doing. The man stuck something into the crook of Fang's arm and taped it in place. Next he grabbed a long piece of black metal and screwed it into the thing in Fang's arm.

Fang was watching everything he did carefully, as though trying to memorise what he was doing. The man walked over to a more familiar looking machine. He wheeled the heart monitor over until it was beside Fang and began hooking him up to it.

"This is just so we can monitor your vitals. Nothing important," the Whitecoat muttered.

Fang nodded and allowed the man to wire him up. The woman began squirming beneath me but I quickly turned and punched her in the face. She stilled instantly with a groan of pain. I turned back to Fang and the Whitecoat.

The Whitecoat walked over to a control panel and picked up a small remote with a lot of little buttons all over it. He flashed Fang a quick glance of it as he took it back over to him.

"This here is the remote we designed to program the nanobots," he explained. "This wire here acts as a sort of aerial, a conduit between the remote and the nanobots in your body."

The man glanced quickly at the woman pinned under me, his eyes wide in fear.

"Anton, don't..." the woman warned him.

I clamped my hand over her mouth and punched her in the gut. Tears rolled silently down her cheek but she didn't make a sound. The man, Anton, had widened his eyes as he saw his friend get beaten up and I noticed his hands start to shake.

"Will you let us go when I finish?" Anton asked hesitantly.

I just smiled cruelly at him. "Just reprogram those bots and you'll find out."

Anton sent his friend one last look before he turned away and began typing really quickly into the remote. I watched as Fang sank back against the steel bed and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed and it simply looked like he'd fallen asleep.

Suddenly the Whitecoat woman bit my hand and she began writhing and bucking like crazy. I was thrown off and rolled to cushion the blow.

"Anton, stop! They will kill you if you do this!" she cried as she tried scramble across the room to him.

I didn't know if she meant we would kill him or his employers but I ignored it. I ran at the woman catching her around the waist and throwing her down on the ground again. I saw Anton watching us from the corner of my eye but tried not to focus on him. The woman was still struggling.

I eventually managed to get her back under control by slamming her head none-too-gently on the hard floor. She cried out as pain flared through her and instantly fell limp.

Now I was able to look back to see Anton had moved from his position beside Fang's bed. He had returned to the control panel and was pressing buttons, seemingly at random.

"Stop what you're doing!" I shouted as threateningly as I could.

Anton paused and lifted his head so we had eye contact.

"What did you do to Fang?" I demanded.

The man swallowed but seemed reluctant to answer. So I raised my arm and delivered a blow on the woman's stomach. She moaned and I thought for a second she'd regained consciousness but then her head fell to one side and I knew she was still out cold.

Anton licked his lips nervously before answering. His voice was shaking with fear.

"I told the nanobots to kill him," he whispered.

My eyes widened in astonishment. Had I heard right?

"What?"

"I reprogrammed them like instructed but I gave them the kill order," he repeated.

Ice flooded through my veins and suddenly I was shaking too. Fang couldn't die. He just couldn't. Not just because the nanobots were designed as healing devices, but because he had too much to live for. He had a family, people who loved him and needed him. Like me.

Suddenly the door behind me swung open and I turned to see Iggy enter the room. He looked exhausted but ready for anything. His sudden arrival snapped me out of my daze. That heart monitor was still beeping steadily, although slower than normal for a bird kid.

"Iggy get the remote," I shouted. "It's on the control panel."

The woman had begun to awaken and I knew I couldn't let her go. If Fang died, they would too.

"You're too late," Anton said softly. "The bots will be responding to their programming by now."

"Shut up!" I cried before urging Iggy on.

He dashed across the room and shoved Anton out of the way. I heard the man slam against the wall with a sickening crack and a groan. Good, that man deserved everything that happened to him. I punched the woman in the side of the head again and she fell back into oblivion.

But that was when I heard the heart monitor go crazy. It started off like an alarm, beeping wildly to get attention and then all of a sudden it turned into one long continuous note.

"Fang!" I cried.

I dashed to where he laid his skin clammy and hot. I felt his wrist for a pulse but finding none, I moved to his chest. We all had a basic knowledge of CPR and I instantly started pressing down firmly on his chest with the heels of my palms. After thirty compressions I did two breaths and then checked quickly for a pulse. Still nothing.

I continued for what felt like hours. I could feel the tears running silent and unending down my cheeks but I made no move to wipe them away.

"Max."

I heard Iggy's soft voice as though through water. I hadn't realised he was still in the room. At some point he had moved to my side. He gentle took my hands from Fang's chest and pulled me around so I was facing him.

"Max, he's gone," his voice broke on the last word.

As his voice broke, so did my control. I could hold the agony inside me no longer. I grabbed Iggy around the waist and held him close, burying my face in his shirt. Iggy's strong arms wrapped around me too and I could feel his sobs as well.

Fang, my right hand man, the yin to my yang, my complete opposite but only love, was gone.


	24. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_I'm SO sorry about the last chapter guys! I really truly am!! It was terrible writing it but it had to happen... so I'm SO SO sorry!!!_

MAX POV –

It wasn't long before Gazzy, Nudge and Angel joined us in the lab. They were breathing heavily and had a few bruises and cuts but nothing life threatening. Iggy and I were on the ground, clutching at each other, afraid to let go. I knew I had tears staining my face and Iggy didn't look any better.

"What happened?" Nudge asked as soon as she saw us. She hadn't seen Fang yet obviously.

But Angel and Gazzy had. They were staring at the table, their eyes wide in disbelief. Angel's hand reached out for Gazzy's and he caught it, squeezing tightly. It didn't take Nudge long to notice where they were looking. She turned her head and froze.

Fresh tears poured down my face as I saw the horror and incredulity on their faces and the realisation of Fang's death hit me again. Agony tore at my heart. I held Iggy closer as though he was the only stable thing left in this world. He let go of me with one hand and reached out for Nudge. She collapsed against him, much like I had. I knew that Nudge idolised Fang, almost as much as I loved him.

I opened my embrace to include Nudge and she grabbed the back of my shirt tightly. I could hear her sobs and soon I was crying again. Gazzy and Angel joined our awkward hug and soon we were all clutching onto one another, devastated by our loss.

On some level I knew we should be leaving the School before anyone realised what had happened but logic was beyond me at the moment. I didn't particularly care if I got caught and experimented on for the rest of my life. I didn't even care that I could be killed on sight – death would mean I could see Fang again. I smiled at the thought.

That gaping hole that had been widening every second since Fang had died suddenly seemed endless as I realised he was actually gone – not just disappeared like he had three months ago, but actually _gone_. Never to walk this Earth or fly through its skies again.

I numbed at the thought. Fang had been everything to me; he was my strength and determination, the reason I was so stubborn, the power behind my leadership and most importantly, the reason why I woke up every morning. The days seemed so pointless without Fang to look forward to – how was I supposed to keep fighting if he wasn't here to back me up?

"This is my fault," Iggy muttered softly into the silence.

I glanced up at him through watery eyes. I sniffled and frowned.

"What?"

"I saw this happen in my vision," he continued. "I should have been able to stop it before it came to pass. I was obviously given this ability so I could do something with it but..."

"Iggy this is not your fault!" I cried. I was suddenly angry at myself for letting him think that and furious with the Whitecoats for bestowing this foresight on him in the first place.

"Listen to me," I said, desperately grabbing his shoulders tightly so I had his attention. "None of this is your fault! You warned us what would happen but we took these chances any way. If it's anyone's fault, it would be mine for pushing Fang to believe that your vision wouldn't happen."

"It wasn't anyone's fault but the Whitecoats," Angel whispered softly.

She sounded so young and vulnerable. I pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head gently, like a mother kissing her child to soothe them. She looked so exhausted and overwhelmed that my motherly instincts towards Angel had kicked in.

_You guys are the only parents that I have_, she pushed the thought into my head. _I feel like I've just lost my Dad._

I didn't think it was possible for my heart to break any more than it already was but Angel's thoughts managed to do it. She was so mature for her age that I often forgot that she was only seven. I held onto her tighter. Why did it have to be Fang?

Suddenly I heard movement behind me and then a ringing silence. I turned around and saw Anton, unplugging the heart monitor from Fang. Burning fury ignited in my blood and I saw red. This was the man who had taken Fang from us, stolen his life without so much as batting an eyelid.

In an instant I had disentangled myself from the group and was stalking towards him. He saw me coming and suddenly his face was filled with fear. Good.

He held up his hands as though in surrender. "I was only acting under orders."

I didn't care. No excuse would explain why he would kill a person so dispassionately. Allowing the pure loathing to engulf me, I reached the Whitecoat and punched him square in the face. He stumbled backwards, landing on the control panel.

I dashed over to him and grabbed him by the throat. Without thinking, I squeezed. His hands clawed feebly at my arms but he was already losing consciousness. His eyes were wide with fear as he saw his death coming.

"You killed my friend," I hissed at him. "He was a better person that you will ever be and would never kill anyone for any reason! That's why you're stupid programming didn't work. He _couldn't_ kill someone!"

Slowly Anton's eyes closed and his breathing, which had been shallow and ragged, began to slow as well.

Suddenly a hand gently laid itself over mine.

"Especially not someone I loved," a soft voice whispered into my ear.

My eyes were riveted on the hand covering mine. It was hard and calloused but not ungentle. Eventually I allowed the olive coloured hand to pull mine away from the throat it was choking.

Barely daring to believe it, I turned my head slowly, unconsciously holding my breath. I was met by a well-muscled chest that made my heart beat faster. A tear escaped my eye as I lifted my head and made eye contact with the dark eyes that never failed to set my heart aflutter. How was this possible?

Fang lifted his free hand and tentatively wiped the tear from my cheek. A small smile graced his lips.

"Please don't cry," he whispered.

Slowly he leant down to my height and placed his forehead on mine. He felt so real that I couldn't believe this was dream, or a hallucination for that matter.

His eyes bored into mine, glittering for some unknown reason. Then without warning, his lips gently brushed mine. He pulled back a little to gauge my reaction. I kept staring into his eyes, afraid that if I blinked he would disappear like the illusion that he was.

Then a full smile lit up Fang's face and he pressed his lips back on mine. This time there was no hesitation and no holding back. And as Fang's lips met mine, I couldn't help but respond wholeheartedly.

Even if this Fang was a dream or an hallucination, the kiss that we were sharing was real.


	25. Chapter 25

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

FANG POV –

The second I closed my eyes, it was like I could feel the nanoscopic bots raging through my body. My blood felt like it was on fire as it pulsed through my veins. I could no longer hear what was going on around me and for a few seconds, I didn't care either. I was paying close attention to what was going on inside my body.

I could feel the nanobots getting faster and faster and absently noticed I was feeling hotter and hotter. What was happening? The burning in my blood quickly began to spread and I felt it attack my liver, kidney and other vital organs. It wasn't long before the burning began to consume my frantically beating heart.

The burning was agony and I wanted to scream but I couldn't open my mouth and sound refused to reach my throat. Every muscle in my body was tense as they tried to react naturally but I knew they weren't moving even an inch.

My heart was speeding up and I could feel the burning intensify in my organs. The pain grew more acute and I had never been more aware of every muscle, tendon and vein in my entire life. Then when I thought I was about to go insane from the agony, a blissful darkness overcame me and I slipped into it without a care.

***

When I awoke there was no pain. I lay there for a few moments, trying to figure out what had happened. All I could remember was the agony as the nanobots went crazy in my bloodstream, the feeling of my organs being viciously attacked and my heart beat getting progressively faster.

After ensuring that everything was all right within my body, I opened my mind to the outside world. I opened my eyes and saw a bright white ceiling and a blinding florescent light. Okay, so I was still at the School. Not a good thing but at least I knew where I was.

Gradually I began to hear voices around me. I managed to discern that there were two speakers, one who sounded defensive and pleading while the other was talking in a low, threatening way. I recognised that second voice immediately.

I turned my head towards Max's voice and saw her back. She was leaning over someone who was trying to fight back feebly. I frowned. As much as attacking people were normal Max behaviour, I sensed something was different about her.

Slowly I stood, surprised that my muscles weren't sore or aching. All that pain and no memory of it? I couldn't feel the nanobots anymore so I was a little unsure as to whether that pain had done something to make them go away or if they'd just gone dormant or just waiting for the perfect moment to attack me again.

I stumbled silently over to Max and stopped behind her.

"...He was a better person than you'll ever be and would never kill anyone for any reason! That's why you're stupid programming didn't work. He _couldn't_ kill someone!" Max was hissing at the Whitecoat.

I didn't need to be a mind reader to know that she was referring to me although I was a little confused as to why she had used past tense. But her hand was tightening around Anton's throat and I noticed he was struggling to breathe.

I placed my hand gently over Max's, a small smile touching my lips as I felt her soft skin. She was right – I wouldn't kill anyone (unless they were an immediate threat to Max's life) but I knew what Max was capable of. I didn't want her to kill a defenceless man, even if I didn't know the reason behind her actions. So running off what I'd just heard her say I spoke softly into her ear.

"Especially not someone I loved."

I felt Max tense instantly. She seemed frozen. I gently pulled her hand away from the Whitecoats' throat. It took a little bit of persuasion but I managed in the end. Max turned slowly, her eyes wide, something akin to disbelief flickering hesitantly within.

Suddenly a tear slid down her cheek. It was so unexpected and un-Max-like that it took me by surprise. What had happened while I was unconscious?

I pushed the thought away and smiled at Max's vulnerability. It didn't happen often but when it did, when everything real came out in a gush, she was even more beautiful and perfect than ever. But knowing that something cataclysmic had to have happened for Max to reveal herself like this did not settle well in me.

I gently wiped away the tear, my fingers tingling as I touched her skin.

"Please don't cry," I whispered.

Max still looked to be in a state of shock but I couldn't linger on the details. Her chocolate eyes were staring fixedly on my eyes and she had not once blinked. I could see they were still watery but she wasn't letting the tears fall. An irrepressible surge of love flooded me as I looked into her soulful eyes.

Oh how I wanted her so badly at that moment. My whole body was reacting to her closeness and I was indescribably happy that all those bad intentions towards Max were no longer there. Maybe the nanobots had been destroyed when they tried to heal the pain?

Slowly I bent over and gently rested my forehead against hers, revelling in this long-awaited freedom of being able to be near to Max again. I couldn't bring myself to look away from her beautiful eyes for fear the moment would be ruined.

God help me, I thought.

Seized by a sudden recklessness, I pressed my lips lightly against Max's, unsure of how she would react. As we parted seconds later, I watched her carefully. She still hadn't blinked and that surprised look had only deepened. Maybe she just needed a little more encouragement?

I smiled brightly as my body filled with elation. I would love nothing more than kissing her again.

So without hesitation, I kissed her again. It wasn't long before I finally got a response from Max. She pressed her lips more desperately against mine and I felt her hands slide around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her back, one hand sliding up to the nape of her neck and pressing her closer to me.

The kiss deepened as I tentatively ran the tip of my tongue along her bottom lip. She moaned with pleasure, opening her mouth slightly so I could gain access. She tasted as wonderful as she looked.

Suddenly there was a cough from behind me and I felt eyes on me. Slowly I disengaged myself from Max, smiling at her flushed cheeks. Unwilling to lose contact with her so completely, I kept my arm around her waist. I was going to make up for over three months of absence.

When I looked up, I saw the rest of the Flock staring at me in equal shock and amusement. Their faces were tearstained and I noticed the slightly red and puffy look to their eyes. Frowning in confusion, I glanced at Max. She had returned to staring at my face as though trying to memorise it. I turned back to the Flock.

"What?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Have I got something on my face?"

_Answers will come next chapter! Which will also probably also be the last chapter... depends on how I can work it. Haha_


	26. Chapter 26

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_Hey guys!! This is NOT the last chapter and it is slightly longer. Anyways I won't keep you so enjoy!_

MAX POV –

The Flock had our happy little reunion, everyone trying to embrace Fang at the same time. We were all so relieved that he was alive. I was giddy with happiness but our excitement was short lived as we heard the groan of the woman Whitecoat. She was still lying where I'd left her and we all glanced at her as we realised we weren't in the safest environment.

A silent agreement passed between the six of us. Within minutes we had pulled another daring escape and were soaring through the sky to freedom. For a long time we just let ourselves be swept up with the joy of the moment, being together as a family and free to spread our wings and coast the currents. But it wasn't long before we tired and had to stop for food and rest. It had been a long day, filled with kidnappings, deaths and physically and mentally draining emotional turmoil. Ah the bliss of being a teenage mutant bird-kid.

As we feasted on takeaway burgers we gave Fang a short version of what had happened after he'd passed out. He seemed less than surprised by what we said, his face remaining emotionless the whole time. I watched him carefully, confused. Call me crazy but I would be a little disturbed by the fact that I'd just died and then come back to life.

When everyone had finished eating, night had already fallen and the kids were holding back yawns. They were only young and yet they'd been through so much in their short lives already. I smiled at them proudly before nodding to the surrounding trees.

"Catch some zees guys," I encouraged them. "Fang and I will cover first and second watch. I'll wake you up Iggy when it's your turn."

He nodded and ushered them over to the nearest tree. They settled against one another snugly, wrapping their blankets around each other for added warmth. Tonight was unseasonable cold. I already had my blanket wrapped around my shoulders and pulled in tight to my hunched shoulders. I watched the four younger Flock members as they gradually nodded off. When I was sure that they were all asleep, I turned my attention back to Fang.

"So Jesus," I said, "How did you do it?"

Fang, who had been staring over my head at something I couldn't see, suddenly blinked and returned his eyes to mine. He shifted his blanket so it was tighter around his shoulders.

"Do what? Walk on water? Part the Red Sea?" Fang asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "That was Moses, Einstein, and no. I was referring to your miraculous resurrection."

Fang didn't respond. He just stared at me, his eyes – usually so open to me – were drawn and cautious. Silently he reached out for me and I willingly scooted into his embrace. He leant his lean frame up against the tree behind him. I sat in between his legs and lay back against his strong chest. Heat radiated from him as he wrapped his arms around me, adding the warmth from his blanket to mine.

"Was it the nanobots?" I asked tentatively.

I could feel Fang's heart beat faster at the mention of that horrible technology and he tightened his hold around my waist.

"I have no idea," he replied. I could hear the honesty and frustration in his voice as he searched for the answer. I felt his Adam's apple bob up and down as I rested my head between his shoulder and neck.

"After I closed my eyes I remember this... _indescribable_ pain, like the Nazi's and British were fighting World War II in my veins. I couldn't even move because my muscles had seized up and I was struggling to draw breath."

I could hear the agony in his voice as he reminisced about what had happened back in the lab.

"Somehow I just knew that it was the nanotech that was doing that to me. I couldn't tell you how I knew, I just did," he continued after a brief pause.

"Anton, that Whitecoat, told us that he'd ordered the nanobots to kill you," I injected, shuddering at my own trip down memory lane.

Fang instinctively held me closer as I shivered but I pretended not to notice. He was quiet for a moment and I was suddenly worried that he'd closed up. I took his hands in mind, enjoying the warmth they held.

"That was probably what they were doing," he murmured. "It definitely felt that way."

"And you flat lined," I whispered hoarsely. That horrible noise would stay with me forever.

Fang turned his head and gently kissed the top of my head.

"I thought the nanobots were designed to heal you, not kill you," I said.

Fang made some noncommittal sound in his throat as he leant his head against the side of mine. He kissed my jaw line near my ear and it took all of my impressive willpower just to keep my train of thought. Fang continued to ignore me, trailing kisses up the side of my neck and all the way to my lips. Just as he was about to steal all rational thought from me, a realisation hit me.

I gently pushed Fang's searching lips away, ignoring the voice in my head that was shouting at me to just embrace him and leave the worrying for later. I turned slightly so I could look up into Fang's face, noting the way his eyes devoured me with insatiable hunger. I mentally shook my head.

"If I'm right," I began.

"Which you always are," Fang replied softly. I didn't fail to notice the sarcasm behind the remark but I wisely ignored it before continuing.

"If I'm right," I repeated, "And the nanobots were designed for the specific purpose of healing and that everything else was just programming" – he winced because he knew what I meant by _everything else_ – "then that would mean that Anton's reprogramming was in direct contrast to what the nanobots were essentially designed to do."

Fang blinked, his dark eyes sparkling in amusement.

"I have no idea how you come to some of the conclusions that you do."

I rolled my eyes before thinking of a better way of explaining.

"They are healing nanobots; it's why they were created. The Whitecoats gave them another function, which was the programming. When Anton programmed in the kill command, he pretty much just told them to do the opposite of what they do best. So these nanobots get this message but become confused because of their contradicting orders. Do they kill you, just as the new programming tells them too or do they continue to heal you, like they were created to do in the first place?"

I was definitely warming to this theory.

"I think that the nanobots did them both. First, they killed you, just as they were told to," I said. "And then they would have healed you."

"You mean bring me back from the dead?" he questioned.

I frowned. "Well however you want to put it, it all means the same in the end."

There was silence as I watched Fang think through my theory. Finally, after what felt like forever, he returned his eyes to my face.

"I think you're only partially correct. I don't think that all the nanobots could override their original designs so they continued to heal me as others tried to kill me," he muttered. "I mean, why else would it have felt like a war zone inside me?"

He paused, took a deep breath and then continued. "I think that the nanobots ended up attacking each other instead of me. The healing bots would have seen the kill bots as enemies to my system so they would have sought to get rid of them before they could do me any harm. But the kill bots would also have fought back as they tried to complete their programming."

I nodded slowly. "That definitely makes sense. But then does that mean that the nanobots destroyed themselves?"

Fang shrugged. "Let's find out."

He felt around him and after a few seconds, picked up a stick. He held his arm out in front of him and suddenly pressed the jagged broken end into his skin. He let out a soft hiss as blood slowly began seeping out of the wound. Fang tossed the stick aside and we both stared at the cut, waiting for it to heal over.

It had previously taken the bots only a few seconds to heal one of Fang's wounds but this time Fang and I sat there for minutes. After five minutes, nothing had happened. I was getting fidgety with boredom but I somehow managed to stay still for another few minutes.

"I think you're back to normal," I said.

Fang grinned at me and I felt my heart squeeze in excitement.

"I think you're right," he said, "I don't feel anything even slightly nanobot-like."

I beamed at him as he kissed me, this time on the lips. I responded with delight before pulling away.

I snuggled back into Fang's embrace, feeling the cold bite of the wind flee from his warmth. I closed my eyes as I let the exhaustion come to me at last. Fang was alive, my Flock was together, the nanobots had destroyed themselves and I was sitting, reeling from Fang's kiss, dizzy with happiness. My life couldn't get much better.


	27. Chapter 27

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

_This is the last chapter sorry guys... so I want to thank everyone who has reviewed! In particular, _pinkcatheaven, RO-Z 28, Cap't Mo, wolfdefender01, tearsXsolitude, SexiLexiRoxDaSox _and_ THECR0W _as my continuously loyal reviewers! You are all legends and hope that you stay with me long enough for the sequel! I send you all great big bear hugs!!!! I love you all! Haha..._

FANG POV –

Max had long since fallen asleep in my arms when I felt it. It started as a gentle tingling in my fingertips which I put down to the cold. I shivered and rubbed my hands together, using as little movement as I could so that I didn't wake up Max. She stirred a little but I tucked my hands around her waist and she smiled softly in her sleep.

I watched her as she slept, her head resting on my chest and her body curled against mine. She looked so peacefully that I couldn't take my eyes off her. I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. As I stared at her, the tingling suddenly shot up my arms and into my torso. It spread like wildfire, numbing my stunned body as I frantically tried to figure out what was happening.

I couldn't move my whole body tense and tingling. My eyes flickered to Max and I desperately wanted to wake her up but knew that I couldn't.

As suddenly as the tingling had spread, it disappeared. I was left, slightly numbed but able to move. Now that I had the chance to think properly, I knew that I had recognised the strange sensation as soon as it had overpowered my body. I hadn't wanted to believe it because I was in shock and denial.

Slowly I pulled my arm out from around Max and lifted it into the moonlight. There was a bloody scratch from where I'd attacked myself with a stick earlier in the night to see if the nanobots had gone from my system or not. Hesitantly, my hands shaking, I picked at the dried blood until it was all gone. Then I just stared in horror at my arm.

There was no wound, just a faint pink scar.

The nanobots were back.

IGGY POV –

Fang woke me up wordlessly for my turn at watch before crawling back over to where he was laying with Max. I could feel that something was distracting him but I knew he wouldn't want to talk about it. So I let him be. I knew Fang well enough to not annoy him when he was distracted like that. He would either snap at you or ignore you all together, the latter being the most common one.

I yawned as I carefully disentangled myself from Nudge, Gazzy and Angel. I was still dead tired but I as I stretched I felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. Fang was back for good. I knew Max wasn't going to let him disappear like that again and she would be even more proactive towards destroying the School and Itex branches after what had happened to Fang. When Max held a grudge against you, it was best if you holed up in the Andes Mountains or somewhere equally as remote so that she couldn't find you. Not that that would stop her from looking. And I just don't think that the School had learnt their lesson yet.

The air was bitter cold as I opened my wings and flew silently up to a tree branch. I kept my hands outstretched in front of me Superman style just in case the wind sudden changed directions and I was no longer able to hear the difference in wind currents swirling around the tree. But I found the branch without any troubles and settled myself down, zipping my jacket up around me and wrapping my wings around my shoulders.

I leant back against the tree trunk, listening to the serene sounds of night. I could hear the slow measured breathing of five sleeping bird kids beneath me, an owl hooting in the distance and even further than that the sounds of traffic and civilisation. Nothing out of the ordinary, like a crazy mutant experiment trying to sneak up on us.

Suddenly I gripped my head as an explosion of pain spread through me mercilessly. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from crying out. If I was going to keep having these stupid visions then I had to get a grip on the sheer agony that accompanied them.

Instinctively my wings snapped out so I could stay balanced on the branch while I rode out the pain. I squeeze my eyes shut as the images began to flicker past my mind's eye. I couldn't see any of them clearly as they were moving too fast to be anything more than a blur. But I knew they'd slow down soon.

And sure enough, they did. Soon I was watching the Martinez house, Ella, Gazzy, Angel and I waving from the front door as Max, Fang, Nudge and Mrs Martinez climbed into the small family car. Nudge waved over her shoulder as she shouted something back to the small group at the house. I was surprised when I saw the vision me blow a kiss in her direction.

But then they were in the car and driving off. Next thing I know, the images changed and I was watching as the Martinez car drove past me along an abandoned road. They reached a corner and turned slowly. But as Mrs Martinez started accelerating out of the corner, a massive truck pulled out of a hidden driveway at an inappropriate speed. I stared in horror as the truck slammed into the passenger's side of the car, pushing it along in front of it for a few hundred meters before the truck's screaming brakes finally did their job.

The cabbie jumped out of the truck, aghast by the events. Suddenly I was beside the car, seeing the horror inside for myself. Mrs Martinez, who had been driving was lying unconscious against the steering wheel, a huge gash on her forehead. Behind her, Nudge was groaning, rubbing her shoulder where the seatbelt had given her whiplash but other than that she looked fine.

But it was Fang and Max on the passenger side of the car that were the most injured. They had taken the brunt of the truck's impact and both of them were unconscious. Max was in the front of the car, her head bleeding from an unseen wound and her right shoulder was clearly dislocated. I could also see that her legs had been crushed under the dented steel that had been the side of the car.

As I turned my gaze to Fang I saw that he was groaning, his head rolling from one side to the other. I could tell he was waking up. Fang's right arm was a mangled mess where it was caught between the door and his body and a few fingers on his left hand were bent at odd angles. He moaned in pain as he pushed himself upright with his less injured arm. Now I could see that there was a large red stain growing on the side of his chest, beneath his ribs. I also noticed that his left leg was broken and twisted.

As I watched, Fang pushed the broken bone in his right arm back into place, a small cry of pain escaping his lips. He stilled, breathing heavily as he waited for something. After a few seconds, he lifted his right hand up and began the painful process of pushing his broken fingers into place. I watched as he slowly righted all the broken bones in his body before he pulled himself across the car to Nudge.

The images began to fade and when I was able to think straight again, I turned my attention to the five people beneath me. Should I tell them? Fang, Max and Nudge had a right to know – Fang in particular. Did he know that the nanobots were still inside him?

I sighed. I'd felt how happy he was when he told us that the nanobots weren't controlling him anymore and I didn't think I could depress him like that. I would keep this vision to myself for now, but as soon as I felt it beginning to reveal itself, I would let them know. Fang deserved to have a little peace of mind before his life was ruined again.

**THE END!**

_Keep an eye out for the sequel!! Not sure when I will post it but it will be soon... _


	28. AUTHOR NOTE

**Hey guys!**

**For those of you who don't know yet, the sequel to The Disappearance is up and full operational! It is called An Uncertain Future. Hope you can join me for this next instalment!**

**You guys rock! And thanks for your support! xo**


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